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OF  THE 
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SCHOOL 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

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http://www.archive.org/details/danalibraryprimerOOdanarich 


A  Library  Primer 


John  Cotton  Dana 


Fourth  Edition 


^■5^^ 


Librarv  Bureau,  Chicago 
T906 


(5J^4^  ^ 


Copyright,  1899, 
by 
Library  Bureau 


GIFT 


iCHOOi 


To 

Samuel  S.  Gieen,  William  I.  Fletcher, 

and  Charles  A.  Cutter 


PREFACE. 

A  library  primer  was  published  in  the  first  six  num- 
bers of  Public  Libraries  in  1896.  It  was  quite  largely 
made  up. of  extracts  from  an  article  by  Dr  W.  F.  Poole 
on  The  organization  and  management  of  public  libra- 
ries, which  formed  part  of  the  report  on  Public  libra- 
ries in  the  U.  S.,  published  by  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  edu- 
cation in  1876;  from  W.  I.  Fletcher's  Public  libraries 
in  America;  from  Mary  W.  Plummer's  Hints  to  small 
libraries;  and  from  papers  in  the  Library  journal  and 
A.  L.  A.  proceedings. 

At  the  request  of  a  number  of  people  interested  I 
have  revised,  rewritten,  and  extended  the  original  draft 
for  publication  in  book  form.  Additional  material  has 
been  taken  from  many  sources.  I  have  tried  to  give 
credit  in  good  measure.  The  prevailing  tendency 
among  librarians  is  to  share  ideas,  to  give  to  one  an- 
other the  benefit  of  all  their  suggestions  and  expe- 
riences. The  result  is  a  large  fund  of  library  knowl- 
edge which  is  commr  property.  From  this  fund  most 
of  this  book  is  taken. 

The  Library  Primer  is  what  its  name  implies.  It 
does  not  try  to  be  exhaustive  in  any  part  of  the  field. 
It  tries  to  open  up  the  subject  of  library  management 
for  the  small  library,  and  to  show  how  large  it  is  and 
how  much  librarians  have  yet  to  learn  and  to  do. 

The  City  library,  J.  C.  D. 

Springfield,  Mass. 


Contents 

Chapter  Pao8 

I.  The  beginnings — Library  law 9 

II,  Preliminary  work 10 

III,  Wliat  does  a  public  library  do  for  a  community?.. .  12 

IV,  General  policy  of  the  library 15 

V,  Trustees 17 

VI,  The  librarian 20 

VII,  The  trained  librarian 23 

VIII,  Rooms,  building,  fixtures,  furniture 25 

IX,  Things  needed  in  beginning  work 30 

X,  The  Library  Bureau 35 

XI,  Selecting  books • 39 

XII,  Reference  books  for  a  small  library 46 

XIII,  Reference  work 53 

XIV,  Reading  room 57 

XV,  List  of  periodicals 61 

XVI,  Buying  books 63 

XVII,  Ink  and  handwriting 6g 

XVIII,  Care  of  books 73 

XIX,  Accessioning 'jd 

XX,  Classifying 78 

XXI,  Decimal  classification 81 

XXII,  Expansive  classification 84 

XXIII,  Author  numbers  or  book  marks 91 

XXIV,  Shelf  list 92 

XXV,  Cataloging 94 

XXVI,  Preparing  books  for  the  shelf 99 

XXVII,  Binding  and  mendmg 103 


CONTENTS 

XXVIII,  Pamphlets io8 

XXIX,   Public  documents no 

XXX,  Checking  the  library 113 

XXXI,   Lists,  bulletins,  and  printed  catalogs 114 

XXXII,   Charging  systems 116 

XXXIII,  Meeting  th'^  nublic 1 22 

XXXIV,  The  public  library  for  the  public 123 

XXXV,  Advice  to  a  librarian 126 

XXXVI,  The  librarian  as  a  host 128 

XXXVII,   Making  friends  for  the  library 131 

XXXVIII,   Public  libraries  and  recreation 133 

XXXIX,  Books  as  useful  toqls 134 

XL,  Village  library  successfully  managed 135 

XLi,   Rules  for  the  public 137 

XLii,    Rules  for  trustees  and  employes 140 

XLiii,   Reports 146 

XLiv,    Library  legislation 147 

XLV,   A.  L.  A.  and  other  library  associations 152 

XLVi,   Library  schools  and  classes 154 

XLVii,   Library  department  of  N.  E.  A 156 

XLViii,  Young  people  and  the  schools 157 

XLix,   How  can  the  library  assist  the  school? 160 

L,   Children's  room 163 

LI,   Schoolroom  libraries 164 

Lii,   Children's  home  libraries 166 

Liii,    Literary  clubs  and  libraries 168 

Liv,   Museums,  lectures,  etc 1 70 

LV,   Rules  for  the  care  of  photographs 171 


Library  Primer 


CHAPTER  I 
The  beginnings — Library  law 

If  the  establishment  of  a  free  public  library  in  your 
town  is  under  consideration,  the  first  question  is  prob- 
ably this:  Is  there  a  statute  which  authorizes  a  tax  for 
the  support  of  a  public  library?  Your  state  library 
commission,  if  you  have  one,  will  tell  you  if  your  state 
gives  aid  to  local  public  libraries.  It  will  also  tell  you 
about  your  library  law.  If  you  have  no  library  com- 
mission, consult  a  lawyer  and  get  from  him  a  careful 
statement  of  what  can  be  done  under  present  statutory 
regulations.  If  your  state  has  no  library  law,  or  none 
which  seems  appropriate  in  your  community,  it  may 
be  necessary  to  suspend  all  work,  save  the  fostering  of 
a  sentiment  favorable  to  a  library,  until  a  good  law  is 
secured. 

In  chapters  44  and  45  will  be  found  a  list  of  state 
library  commissions,  important  provisions  in  library 
laws,  and  the  names  of  the  states  having  the  best  li- 
brary laws  at  present. 

Before  taking  any  definite  steps,  learn  about  the 
beginnings  of  other  libraries  by  writing  to  people  who 
have  had  experience,  and  especially  to  libraries  in  com- 
munities similar  in  size  and  character  to  your  own. 
Write  to  some  of  the  new  libraries  in  other  towns  and 
villages  of  your  state,  and  learn  how  they  began.  Visit 
several  such  libraries,  if  possible,  the  smaller  the  better 
if  you  are  starting  on  a  small  scale. 


10  LIBRARY   PRIMER 


CHAPTER  II 
Preliminary    work 

Often  it  is  not  well  to  lay  great  plans  and  invoke  state 
aid  at  the  very  outset.  Make  a  beginning,  even  though 
it  be  small,  is  a  good  general  rule.  This  beginning, 
however  petty  it  seems,  will  give  a  center  for  further 
effort,  and  will  furnish  practical  illustrations  for  the 
arguments  one  may  wish  to  use  in  trying  to  interest 
people  in  the  movement. 

Each  community  has  different  needs,  and  begins 
its  library  under  different  conditions.  Consider  then, 
whether  you  need  most  a  library  devoted  chiefly  to  the 
work  of  helping  the  schools,  or  one  to  be  used  mainly 
for  reference,  or  one  that  shall  run  largely  to  periodicals 
and  be  not  much  more  than  a  reading  room,  or  one 
particularly  attractive  to  girls  and  women,  or  one  that 
shall  not  be  much  more  than  a  cheerful  resting-place, 
attractive  enough  to  draw  man  and  boy  from  street 
corner  and  saloon.  Decide  this  question  early,  that 
all  effort  may  be  concentrated  to  one  end,  and  that 
your  young  institution  may  suit  the  community  in 
which  it  is  to  grow,  and  from  which  it  is  to  gain  its 
strength. 

Having  decided  to  have  a  library,  keep  the  move- 
ment well  before  the  public.  The  necessity  of  the 
library,  its  great  value  to  the  community,  should  be 
urged  by  the  local  press,  from  the  platform,  and  in 
personal  talk.  Include  in  your  canvass  all  citizens, 
irrespective   of   creed,  business,  or   politics;   whether 


PRELIMINARY   WORK  H 

educated  or  illiterate.  Enlist  the  support  of  teachers, 
and  through  them  interest  children  and  parents.  Lit- 
erary, art,  social,  and  scientific  societies,  Chautauqua 
circles,  local  clubs  of  all  kinds  should  be  champions  of 
the  movement. 

In  getting  notices  of  the  library's  work  in  the  news- 
papers, or  in  securing  mention  of  it  from  the  lecture 
platform,  or  in  clubs,  and  literary,  artistic,  and  musical 
societies,  it  is  better  to  refrain  from  figures  and  to  deal 
chiefly  in  general  statements  about  what  the  library 
aims  to  do  and  what  it  has  done. 


12  LIBRARY    PRlMlf.: 


CHAPTER  III 
What  does  a  public  library  do  for  a  community? 

And  what  good  does  a  public  library  do?  What  is 
it  for? 

i)  It  supplies  the  public  with  recreative  reading.  To 
the  masses  of  the  people — hard-worked  and  living 
humdrum  lives — the  novel  comes  as  an  open  door  to 
an  ideal  life,  in  the  enjoyment  of  which  one  may  for- 
get, for  a  time,  the  hardships  or  the  tedium  of  the  real. 
One  of  the  best  functions  of  the  public  library  is  to 
raise  this  recreative  reading  of  the  community  to 
higher  and  higher  levels;  to  replace  trash  with  litera- 
ture of  a  better  order. 

2)  A  proper  and  worthy  aim  of  the  public  library 
is  the  supplying  of  books  on  every  profession,  art,  or 
handicraft,  that  workers  in  every  department  who  care 
to  study  may  perfect  themselves  in  their  work. 

3)  The  public  library  helps  in  social  and  political 
education — in  the  training  of  citizens.  It  is,  of  course, 
well  supplied  with  books  and  periodicals  which  give 
the  thought  of  the  best  writers  on  the  economic  and 
social  questions  now  under  earnest  discussion. 

4)  The  highest  and  best  influence  of  the  library 
may  be  summed  up  in  the  single  word,  culture.  No 
other  word  so  well  describes  the  influence  of  the  diffu- 
sion of  good  reading  among  the  people  in  giving  tone 
and  character  to  their  intellectual  life. 

5)  The  free  reading  room  connected  with  most  of 
our  public  libraries,  and  the  library  proper  as  well,  if  it 


WHAT    DOES    A    PUBLIC    LIBRARY    DO?  13 

be  rightly  conducted,  is  a  powerful  agent  for  counter- 
acting the  attractions  of  saloons  and  low  resorts.  Es- 
pecially useful  is  it  to  those  boys  and  young  men  who 
have  a  dormant  fondness  for  reading  and  culture,  but 
lack  home  and  school  opportunities. 

6)  The  library  is  the  ever-ready  helper  of  the 
school-teacher.  It  aids  the  work  of  reading  circles 
and  other  home-culture  organizations,  by  furnishing 
books  required  and  giving  hints  as  to  their  value  and 
use;  it  adds  to  the  usefulness  of  courses  of  lectures  by 
furnishing  lists  of  books  on  the  subjects  to  be  treated; 
it  allies  itself  with  university  extension  work;  in  fact, 
the  extension  lecture  given  in  connection  with  the  free 
use  of  a  good  library  seems  to  be  the  ideal  university 
of  the  people. 

The  public  library,  then,  is  a  means  for  elevating  and 
refining  the  taste,  for  giving  greater  efficiency  to  every 
worker,  for  diffusing  sound  principles  of  social  and 
political  action,  and  for  furnishing  intellectual  culture 
to  all. 

The  library  of  the  immediate  future  for  the  Ameri- 
can people  is  unquestionably  the  free  public  library, 
brought  under  municipal  ownership,  and,  to  some  ex- 
tent, municipal  control,  and  treated  as  part  of  the  edu- 
cational system  of  the  state.  The  sense  of  ownership 
in  it  makes  the  average  man  accept  and  use  the  oppor- 
tunities of  the  free  public  library  while  he  will  turn 
aside  from  book  privileges  in  any  other  guise. 

That  the  public  library  is  a  part  of  the  educational 
system  should  never  be  lost  sight  of  in  the  work  of 
establishing  it,  or  in  its  management.  To  the  great 
mass  of  the  people  it  comes  as  their  first  and  only  edu- 
cational opportunity.     The  largest  part  of  every  man's 


14  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

education  is  that  which  he  gives  himself.  It  is  for  this 
individual,  self-administered  education  that  the  public 
library  furnishes  the  opportunity  and  the  means.  The 
schools  start  education  in  childhood;  libraries  carry 
it  on. 


GENERAL    POLICY    OF    THE    LIBRARY  I5 


CHAPTER  IV 
Suggestions  as  to  general  policy  of  the  library 

In  general,  remember  always  I )  that  the  public 
owns  its  public  library,  and  2)  that  no  useless  lumber  is 
more  useless  than  unused  books.  People  will  use  a  li- 
brary, not  because,  in  others'  opinions,  they  ought  to, 
but  because  they  like  to.  See  to  it,  then,  that  the  new 
library  is  such  as  its  owner,  the  public,  likes;  and  the 
only  test  of  this  liking  is  use.  Open  wide  the  doors. 
Let  regulations  be  few  and  never  obtrusive.  Trust 
American  genius  for  self-control.  Remember  the  def- 
erence for  the  rights  of  others  with  which  you  and 
your  fellows  conduct  yourselves  in  your  own  homes, 
at  public  tables,  at  general  gatherings.  Give  the  peo- 
ple at  least  such  liberty  with  their  own  collection  of 
books  as  the  bookseller  gives  them  with  his.  Let  the 
shelves  be  open,  and  the  public  admitted  to  them,  and 
let  the  open  shelves  strike  the  keynote  of  the  whole 
administration.  The  whole  library  should  be  perme- 
ated with  a  cheerful  and  accommodating  atmosphere. 
Lay  this  down  as  the  first  rule  of  library  management; 
and  for  the  second,  let  it  be  said  that  librarian  and  as- 
sistants are  to  treat  boy  and  girl,  man  and  woman, 
ignorant  and  learned,  courteous  and  rude,  with  uniform 
good-temper  without  condescension;  never  pertly. 

Finally,  bear  in  mind  these  two  doctrines,  tempering 
the  one  with  the  other:  i)  that  the  public  library  is  a 
great  educational  and  moral  power,  to  be  wielded  with 
a  full  sense  of  its  great  responsibilities,  and  of  the  cor- 


16  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

responding  danger  of  their  neglect  or  perversion;  2) 
that  the  public  library  is  not  a  business  office,  though 
it  should  be  most  business-like  in  every  detail  of  its 
management;  but  is  a  center  of  public  happiness  first, 
of  public  education  next. 


TRUSTEES.  17 


CHAPTER  V 
Trustees 

[Condensed  from  paper  by  C.  C.  Soule] 

i)  Size  of  the  board. — The  library  board  should  be 
small,  in  small  towns  not  over  three  members.  In 
cities  a  larger  board  has  two  advantages:  it  can  include 
men  exceptionally  learned  in  library  science,  and  it 
can  represent  more  thoroughly  different  sections  of 
the  town  and  different  elements  in  the  population. 

2)  Term  of  office. — The  board  should  be  divided  into 
several  groups,  one  group  going  out  of  office  each  year. 
It  would  be  wise  if  no  library  trustee  could  hold  office 
for  more  than  three  successive  terms  of  three  years 
each.  A  library  can,  under  this  plan,  keep  in  close 
touch  with  popular  needs  and  new  ideas. 

3)  Qualifications.  —  The  ideal  qualifications  for  a 
trustee  of  a  public  library — a  fair  education  and  love 
of  books  being  taken  for  granted — are:  sound  charac- 
ter, good  judgment,  common  sense,  public  spirit,  ca- 
pacity for  work,  literary  taste,  representative  fitness. 
Don't  assume  that  because  a  man  has  been  prominent 
in  political  business  or  social  circles  he  will  make  a 
good  trustee.  Capacity  and  willingness  to  work  are 
more  useful  than  a  taste  for  literature  without  practi- 
cal qualities.  General  culture  and  wide  reading  are 
generally  more  serviceable  to  the  public  library  than 
the  knowledge  of  the  specialist  or  scholar.  See  that 
different  sections  of  the  town's  interests  are  repre- 
sented. Let  neither  politics  nor  religion  enter  into 
the  choice  of  trustees. 


i8 


LIBRARY    PRIMER 


4)  Duties.  —  The  trustee  of  the*  public  library  is 
elected  to  preserve  and  extend  the  benefits  of  the  li- 
brary as  the  people's  university.  He  can  learn  library 
science  only  by  intelligent  observation  and  study.  He 
should  not  hold  his  position  unless  he  takes  a  lively 
interest  in  the  library,  attends  trustees'  meetings,  reads 
the  library  journals,  visits  other  libraries  than  his  own, 
and  keeps  close  watch  of  the  tastes  and  requirements 
of  his  constituency.  His  duties  include  the  care  of 
funds,  supervision  of  expenditures,  determination  of 
the  library's  policy,  general  direction  of  choice  and 
purchase  of  books,  selection  of  librarian  and  assistants, 
close  watch  of  work  done,  and  comparison  of  the  same 
with  results  reached  in  other  libraries. 

A  large  board  ordinarily  transacts  business  through 
its  chairman,  secretary,  treasurer,  and  one  or  more 
committees.  It  is  doubtful  if  the  librarian  should  act 
as  secretary  of  the  board.  The  treasurer,  if  he  holds 
the  funds  in  his  hands,  should  always  be  put  under 
bonds.  It  is  well  to  have  as  many  committees  as  can 
be  actively  employed  in  order  to  enlist  the  cooperation 
of  all  the  trustees. 

The  executive  committee  should  take  charge  of  the 
daily  work  of  the  library,  of  purchases,  and  of  the  care 
of  the  building;  they  should  carry  their  duties  as  far 
as  possible  without  assuming  too  much  of  the  respon- 
sibility which  properly  belongs  to  the  full  board.  It 
will  be  best  to  entrust  the  choice  of  books  to  a  book 
committee  appointed  for  that  purpose  purely.  The 
finance  committee  should  make  and  watch  investments 
and  see  that  purchases  are  made  on  most  favorable 
terms. 

5)  Relations  zvith  the  librarian — The  trustees  are  the 


TRUSTEES  Ig 

responsible  managers  of  the  library;  the  librarian  is 
their  agent,  appointed  to  carry  out  their  wishes.  If 
they  have,  however,  a  first-class  librarian,  the  trustees 
ought  to  leave  the  management  of  the  library  practi- 
cally to  him,  simply  supplementing  his  ability  without 
impeding  it.  They  should  leave  to  a  librarian  of  good 
executive  ability  the  selection,  management,  and  dis- 
missal of  all  assistants,  the  methods  and  details  of  li- 
brary work,  and  the  initiative  in  the  choice  of  books. 
A  wise  librarian  the  trustees  may  very  properly  take 
into  their  confidence,  and  invite  his  presence  at  all 
meetings,  where  his  advice  would  be  of  service. 

6)  Other  employes. — Efficiency  of  employes  can  best 
be  obtained  through  application  of  the  cardinal  princi- 
ples of  an  enlightened  civil  service,  viz.,  absolute  ex- 
clusion of  all  political  and  personal  influence,  appoint- 
ment for  definitely  ascertained  fitness,  promotion  for 
merit,  and  retention  during  good  behavior. 


20  LIBRARY    PRIMER 


CHAPTER  VI 
The  librarian 

If  circumstances  permit,  the  librarian  should  be  en- 
gaged even  before  the  general  character  of  the  library 
and  plan  of  administration  have  been  determined  upon. 
If  properly  selected,  he  or  she  will  be  a  person  of 
experience  in  these  matters,  and  will  be  able  to  give 
valuable  advice.  Politics,  social  considerations,  church 
sympathies,  religious  prejudices,  family  relationship — 
none  of  these  should  be  allowed  to  enter  into  his  selec- 
tion. Secure  an  efficient  officer,  even  at  what  may 
seem  at  first  a  disproportionate  expense.  Save  money 
in  other  ways,  but  never  by  employing  a  forceless  man 
or  woman  in  the  position  of  chief  librarian. 

Recent  developments  of  schools  of  library  economy, 
and  recent  rapid  growth  of  public  libraries  throughout 
the  country,  have  made  it  possible  for  any  new  library 
to  secure  good  material  for  a  librarian.  If  lack  of 
funds  or  other  conditions  make  it  necessary  to  employ 
some  local  applicant,  it  will  be  wise  to  insist  that  that 
person,  if  not  already  conversant  with  library  economy, 
shall  immediately  become  informed  on  the  subject.  It 
will  not  be  easy,  it  may  not  be  possible,  for  trustees 
to  inform  themselves  as  to  library  organization  and 
administration.  They  can,  however,  with  very  little  dif- 
ficulty, so  far  inform  themselves  as  to  be  able  to  judge 
whether  the  person  they  select  for  their  chief  officer  is 
taking  pains  to  acquaint  himself  with  the  literature  of 
the  subject,  or  trying  to  get  in  touch  with  the  knowl- 


THE    LIBRARIAN  21 

edge  and  experience  of  others.  They  should  not  sub- 
mit for  a  moment  to  ignorance  or  indifference  on  the 
part  of  their  chosen  administrator.  Success  or  failure 
of  a  library,  as  of  a  business,  depends  on  the  ability  of 
the  man  or  woman  at  its  head,  and  only  trained  men 
and  women  should  be  in  charge.  The  business  of  the 
librarian  is  a  profession,  and  a  practical  knowledge  of 
the  subject  is  never  so  much  needed  as  in  starting  a 
new  enterprise. 

The  librarian  should  have  culture,  scholarship,  and 
executive  ability.  He  should  keep  always  in  advance 
of  his  community,  and  constantly  educate  it  to  make 
greater  demands  upon  him.  He  should  be  a  leader 
and  a  teacher,  earnest,  enthusiastic,  and  intelligent. 
He  should  be  able  to  win  the  confidence  of  children, 
and  wise  to  lead  them  by  easy  steps  from  good  books 
to  the  best.  He  has  the  greatest  opportunity  of  any 
teacher  in  the  community.  He  should  be  the  teacher 
of  teachers.  He  should  make  the  library  a  school  for 
the  young,  a  college  for  adults,  and  the  constant  center 
of  such  educational  activity  as  will  make  wholesome 
and  inspiring  themes  the  burden  of  the  common 
thought.  He  should  be  enough  of  a  bookworm  to 
have  a  decided  taste  and  fondness  for  books,  and  at 
the  same  time  not  enough  to  be  such  a  recluse  as  loses 
sight  of  the  point  of  view  of  those  who  know  little  of 
books. 

As  the  responsible  head  of  the  institution,  he  should 
be  consulted  in  all  matters  relating  to  its  management. 
The  most  satisfactory  results  are  obtained  in  those 
libraries  where  the  chief  librarian  is  permitted  to  ap- 
point assistants,  select  books,  buy  supplies,  make  regu- 
lations, and  decide  methods  of  cataloging,  classifying, 


22  LIBRARY   PRIMER 

and  lending;  all  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  trustees. 
Trustees  should  impose  responsibility,  grant  freedom, 
and  exact  results. 

To  the  librarian  himself  one  may  say:  Be  punctual; 
be  attentive;  help  develop  enthusiasm  in  your  assist- 
ants; be  neat  and  consistent  in  your  dress;  be  dignified 
but  courteous  in  your  manner.  Be  careful  in  your 
contracts;  be  square  with  your  board;  be  concise  and 
technical;  be  accurate;  be  courageous  and  self-reliant; 
be  careful  about  acknowledgments;  be  not  worshipful 
of  your  work;  be  careful  of  your  health.  Last  of  all, 
be  yourself. 


THE   TRAINED   LIBRARIAN    IN   A   SMALL   LIBRARY        23 


CHAPTER  VII 

The  trained  librarian  in  a  small  library 

Julia  A.  Hopkins,  of  the  Rochester  (N.  Y.)  Public  library,  in  Public  Libra- 
ries, December,  1897 

The  value  of  training  for  the  man  or  woman  who 
shall  take  charge  of  a  large  city  library  is  now  so  firmly 
established  that  no  one  thinks  of  discussing  the  ques- 
tion. If  it  is  true  that  technical  training  is  essential  for 
the  headship  of  a  large  library,  why  is  it  not  equally 
necessary  for  that  of  a  small  library?  Trained  service 
is  always  of  greater  value  than  untrained  service,  be  the 
sphere  great  or  small.  If  a  woman  argued  from  the 
standpoint  that,  because  the  house  she  was  to  take 
charge  of  had  only  seven  rooms  instead  of  twenty  she 
needed  to  know  nothing  of  cooking,  sweeping,  and  the 
other  details  of  household  work,  I  am  afraid  that  her 
house  and  her  family  would  suffer  for  her  ignorance. 
So  in  many  departments  of  library  work  the  accident 
of  size  makes  little  or  no  difference;  the  work  is  pre- 
cisely the  same.  The  difference  lies  in  the  fact  that 
the  head  of  a  large  library  oversees  and  directs  the 
work  done  by  others,  where  the  village  librarian  must, 
in  many  cases,  do  all  of  the  work  himself.  In  the  dis- 
tinctly professional  duties,  such  as  the  ordering,  classi- 
fying, and  cataloging  of  books,  there  is  a  difference 
only  in  amount  between  the  greater  and  the  less.  And 
it  is  precisely  these  professional  duties  of  which  the 
person  untrained  in  library  work  is  in  most  cases  wofully 
ignorant. 

It  is  inevitable  that  in  starting  a  library  there  should 
be  some  mistakes  made;  but  with  a  trained  librarian  in 


24  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

charge,  these  mistakes  will  be  fewer  in  number.  For 
example,  what  does  the  novice  know  of  classification? 
He  realizes  that  the  books,  for  convenience  in  use,  must 
be  grouped  in  classes.  If  he  has  had  the  use  of  a  good 
library  (as  a  college  student  would)  he  has  some  idea 
as  to  how  the  class  divisions  are  made,  and  knows  also 
that  there  must  be  some  sort  of  notation  for  the  classes. 
Necessity  being  the  mother  of  invention,  he  contrives 
some  plan  for  bringing  together  books  on  the  same 
subject.  But  with  the  addition  of  books  to  the  library 
and  the  demand  which  growth  makes,  he  finds  that  con- 
stant changes  have  to  be  made  in  order  to  get  books 
into  their  right  places;  and  then  some  day  he  awakens 
to  the  fact  that  there  is  some  perfectly  well-known  and 
adopted  system  of  classification  which  will  answer  all 
his  purposes,  and  be  a  great  deal  more  satisfactory  in 
its  adaptability  to  the  needs  of  his  library  than  the  one 
he  has  been  struggling  to  evolve.  Then  he  exclaims 
in  despair:  If  I  had  only  known  of  that  at  the  begin- 
ning! He  feels  that  the  hours  which  he  has  spent  in 
rearranging  his  books,  taking  them  out  of  one  class  and 
putting  them  into  another,  although  hours  of  such  hard 
work,  are  in  reality  so  many  hours  of  wasted  time.  And 
he  is  right;  for  every  minute  spent  in  unnecessary  work 
is  so  much  lost  time.  Not  only  that,  but  it  is  unneces- 
sary expense,  and  one  of  the  most  important  things 
which  a  small  library  has  to  consider  is  economy. 

Is  it  not  of  value  to  the  library  that  its  librarian 
should  know  how  best  to  expend  the  money  given 
him  to  use?  that  he  should  not  have  to  regret  hours  of 
time  lost  over  useless  experiments?  Surely  if  training 
teaches  a  librarian  a  wise  expenditure  of  money  and  an 
economy  of  time,  then  training  must  be  valuable. 


ROOMS,    BUILDING,    FIXTURES,    FURNITURE  2$ 


CHAPTER  VIII 
Rooms,  building,  fixtures,  furniture 

The  trustees  will  be  wise  if  they  appoint  their  libra- 
rian before  they  erect  a  building,  or  even  select  rooms, 
and  leave  these  matters  largely  to  him.  They  should 
not  be  in  haste  to  build.  As  a  rule  it  is  better  to  start 
in  temporary  quarters,  and  let  the  building  fund  accu- 
mulate while  trustees  and  librarian  gain  experience, 
and  the  needs  of  the  library  become  more  definite. 
Plans  should  be  made  with  the  future  enlargement  of 
the  building  in  view;  libraries  increase  more  rapidly 
than  is  generally  supposed. 

Rooms  of  peculiar  architecture  are  not  required  for 
the  original  occupation  and  organization  of  a  library. 
The  essential  requirements  are  a  central  location,  easy 
access,  ample  space,  and  sufficient  light.  The  library 
and  the  reading  room  should  be,  if  possible,  on  the 
same  floor.  Make  the  exterior  attractive,  and  the  en- 
trance inviting.  In  arranging  the  rooms,  or  building, 
plan  from  the  first,  as  already  suggested,  to  permit 
visitors  to  go  to  the  books  themselves. 

A  collection  of  the  printed  matter  on  library  archi- 
tecture should  be  carefully  studied  by  both  trustees 
and  librarian  before  any  plans  are  made.  While  no 
specific  plan  can  be  recommended  that  would  suit  all 
cases,  there  are  a  few  general  rules  that  meet  with  the 
approval  of  the  library  profession  as  a  whole.  They 
may  be  thus  summed  up,  following  in  the  main  a  paper 
on  the  subject  by  C.  C.  Soule: 


26  LIBRARY   PRIMER 

"A  library  building  should  be  planned  for  library 
work. 

Every  library  building  should  be  planned  especially 
for  the  kind  of  work  to  be  done,  and  the  community 
to  be  served. 

The  interior  arrangement  ought  to  be  planned  be- 
fore the  exterior  is  considered. 

No  convenience  of  arrangement  should  be  sacri- 
ficed for  mere  architectural  effect. 

The  plan  should  be  adapted  to  probabilities  and 
possibilities  of  growth  and  development. 

Simplicity  of  decoration  is  essential  in  the  working 
rooms  and  reading  rooms. 

The  building  should  be  planned  with  a  view  to 
economical  administration. 

The  rooms  for  public  use  should  be  so  arranged  as 
to  allow  complete  supervision  with  the  fewest  possible 
attendants. 

There  should  be  throughout  as  much  natural  light 
as  possible. 

Windows  should  extend  up  to  the  ceiling,  to  light 
thoroughly  the  upper  part  of  every  room. 

Windows  in  a  book  room  should  be  placed  opposite 
the  intervals  between  bookcases. 

In  a  circulating  library  the  books  most  in  use 
should  be  shelved  in  floor  cases  close  to  the  delivery 
desk. 

A  space  of  at  least  five  feet  should  be  left  between 
floor  cases.  (If  the  public  is  excluded,  three  feet  is 
ample.) 

No  shelf,  in  any  form  of  bookcase,  should  be  higher 
than  a  person  of  moderate  height  can  reach  without  a 
stepladder. 


ROOMS,    BUILDING,    FIXTURES,    FURNITURE  2*] 

Shelving  for  folios  and  quartos  should  be  provided 
in  every  book  room. 

Straight  flights  are  preferable  to  circular  stairs. 

The  form  of  shelving  which  is  growing  in  favor  is 
the  arrangement  of  floor  cases  in  large  rooms  with 
space  between  the  tops  of  the  bookcases  and  the  ceil- 
ing for  circulation  of  air  and  the  diffusion  of  light. 

Modern  library  plans  provide  accommodations  for 
readers  near  the  books  they  want  to  use  whatever 
system  of  shelving  is  adopted. 

Single  shelves  should  not  be  more  than  three  feet 
long,  on  account  of  the  tendency  to  sag.  Ten  inches 
between  shelves,  and  a  depth  of  eight  inches,  are  good 
dimensions  for  ordinary  cases.  Shelves  should  be 
made  movable  and  easily  adjustable.  Many  devices 
are  now  in  the  market  for  this  purpose,  several  of 
which  are  good." 

Don't  cut  up  your  library  with  partitions  unless 
you  are  sure  they  are  absolutely  necessary.  Leave 
everything  as  open  as  possible.  A  light  rail  will  keep 
intruders  out  of  a  private  corner,  and  yet  will  not  shut 
out  light,  or  prevent  circulation  of  air,  or  take  away 
from  the  feeling  of  openness  and  breadth  the  library 
room  ought  to  have. 

For  interior  finish  use  few  horizontal  moldings;  they 
make  traps  for  dust.  Use  such  shades  at  the  windows 
as  will  permit  adjustment  for  letting  in  light  at  top  or 
bottom,  or  both.  The  less  ornamentation  in  the  furni- 
ture the  better.  A  simple  pine  or  white-wood  table  is 
more  dignified  and  easier  kept  clean  than  a  cheaply 
carved  one  of  oak.  But  get  solid,  honestly-made, 
simple  furniture  of  oak  or  similar  wood,  if  funds  per- 
mit. Arm-chairs  are  not  often  desirable.  They  take  up 


28  LIBRARY   PRIMER 

much  room,  are  heavy  to  move,  and  are  not  easy  to 
get  in  and  out  of  at  a  table.  In  many  cases  simple 
stools  on  a  single  iron  standard,  without  a  revolving 
top,  fastened  to  the  floor,  are  more  desirable  than 
chairs.  The  loafer  doesn't  like  them;  very  few  serious 
students  object  to  them. 

A  stack  room  for  small  libraries  is  not  advisable. 
Don't  crowd  your  cases  close  together  unless  it  is 
absolutely  necessary. 

An  excellent  form  of  wooden  case  is  one  seven  feet 
high,  with  shelves  three  feet  long  and  seven  and  a  half 
inches  wide,  supported  on  iron  pegs.  The  pegs  fit  into 
a  series  of  holes  bored  one  inch  apart  in  the  sides  of 
the  case,  thus  making  the  shelves  adjustable.  These 
pegs  can  be  bought  in  the  market  in  several  shapes. 
The  shelves  have  slots  cut  in  the  under  side  at  the  ends 
to  hold  the  projecting  ends  of  the  pegs,  thus  giving  no 
obstructions  to  the  free  movement  of  the  books.  With 
some  forms  of  pegs  the  slots  are  not  needed.  The 
uprights  are  made  of  inch  and  a  half  stuff,  or  even 
inch  and  an  eighth.  The  shelves  are  inch  stuff,  finished 
to  seven-eighths  of  an  inch.  The  backs  are  half  inch 
stuff,  tongued  and  grooved  and  put  in  horizontally. 
This  case-unit  (3'  x/'  x  8")  maybe  doubled  or  trebled, 
making  cases  six  and  nine  feet  long;  or  it  may  be  made 
double-faced.  If  double-faced,  and  nine  feet  long,  it 
will  hold  about  a  thousand  books  of  ordinary  size 
when  full.  It  is  often  well  to  build  several  of  your 
cases  short  and  with  a  single  front — wall  cases — as 
they  are  when  in  this  form  more  easily  adjusted  to  the 
growing  needs  of  the  library. 


ROOMS,    BUILDING,    FIXTURES,    FURNITURE  29 

A  library  can  never  do  its  best  work  until  its  man- 
agement recognizes  the  duty  and  true  economy  of  pro- 
viding skilled  assistants,  comfortable  quarters,  and  the 
best  library  equipment  of  fittings  and  supplies. 

For  cases,  furniture,  catalog  cases,  cards,  trays,  and 
labor-saving  devices  of  all  kinds,  consult  the  catalog 
of  the  Library  Bureau. 

Very  many  libraries,  even  the  smallest,  find  it  ad- 
vantageous to  use  for  book  cases  what  are  known  as 
"steel  stacks."  The  demand  for  these  cases  has  been 
so  great  from  libraries,  large  and  small,  that  shelving 
made  from  a  combination  of  wood  and  steel  has  been 
very  successfully  adapted  to  this  use,  and  at  a  price 
within  the  reach  of  all  libraries.  One  of  the  principal 
advantages  in  buying  such  "steel  stack"  shelving, 
with  parts  all  interchangeable,  is  that  in  the  rearrange- 
ment of  a  room,  or  in  moving  into  a  new  room  or  a 
new  building,  it  can  be  utilized  to  advantage,  whereas 
the  common  wooden  book  cases  very  generally  cannot. 


3^  LIBRARY   PRIMER 


C»APTER  IX 

Things  needed  in  beginning  work — Books,  periodicals, 
and  tools 

The  books  and  other  things  included  in  the  follow- 
ing list — except  those  starred  or  excep'ted  in  a  special 
note,  the  purchase  of  which  can  perhaps  be  deferred 
until  the  library  contains  a  few  thousand  volumes — are 
essential  to  good  work,  and  should  be  purchased,  some 
of  them  as  soon  as  a  library  is  definitely  decided  upon, 
the  others  as  soon  as  books  are  purchased  and  work  is 
actually  begun. 

I.    BOOKS 

*American  catalog  of  books  in  print  from  1876- 
1896,  5v.  with  annual  supplement.  The  Publishers' 
weekly,  N.  Y.  Several  of  the  volumes  are  out  of  print. 
All  are  expensive.  They  are  not  needed  by  the  very 
small  library.  The  recent  years  of  the  annual  volumes 
are  essential. 

Card  catalog  rules;  accessions-book  rules;  shelf-list 
rules;  Library  Bureau,  1899,  $1.25.  These  are  called 
the  Library  school  rules. 

Catalog  of  A.  L.  A.  library;  500OV.  for  a  popular 
library,  selected  by  the  American  Library  Association, 
and  shown  at  the  World's  Columbian  exhibition! 
Washington,  1893.  Sent  free  from  the  United  States 
Bureau  of  education. 

*English  catalog,  1835-1896,  5V.,  with  annual  sup- 
plement. The  annual  supplements  for  recent  years  arc 
needed  by  the  small  library;  the  others  are  not. 


THINGS   NEEDED.  IN   BEGINNING  WORK  Jl 

Five  thousand  books,  an  easy  guide  to  books  in 
every  department.  Compiled  for  the  Ladies'  home 
journal,  1895.  Curtis  Publishing  Company,  Philadel- 
phia, Pa.  Paper,  10  cents.  Out  of  print,  but  can  prob- 
ably be  found  second-hand. 

Fletcher,  W.  I.  Public  Libraries  in  America,  1894. 
Roberts  Bros.,  Boston,  $1. 

Library  Bureau  catalog,  containing  list  of  library 
tools,  fittings,  and  appliances  of  all  kinds,  1898.  To  be 
obtained  of  the  Library  Bureau,  Chicago,  215  Madison 
St.;  Boston,  530  Atlantic  Ave.;  New  York,  250  Broad- 
way; Philadelphia,  112  N.  Broad  St.;  Washington,  1416 
F  St.,  N.  W. 

Plummer,  M.  W.  Hints  to  small  libraries,  1898. 
Truslove  &  Comba,  N.  Y.,  50  cents. 

Public  library  handbook,  by  the  Public  library, 
Denver,  1894.   Out  of  print. 

Publishers'  trade  list  annual,  1900,  v.  28.  Office  of 
the  Publishers'  weekly,  N.  Y.,  $2.  Catalogs  of  all  im- 
portant American  publishers  bound  together  in  one 
volume. 

Reference  catalog  of  current  literature,  1898.  Cata- 
logs of  English  publishers,  bound  in  one  volume  and 
indexed.    J.  Whitaker  &  Sons,  London,  $c,. 

Rules  for  an  author  and  title  catalog,  condensed. 
See  Cutter,  Rules  for  a  dictionary  catalog,  1 891,  p. 
99-103.  Sent  from  the  United  States  Bureau  of  edu- 
cation, Washington,  free.  These  are  the  rules  adopted 
by  the  American  Library  Association. 

*Sonnenschein,  W.  S.  Best  books,  readers'  guide, 
1891.  Sonnenschein,  London,  ^8.  Gives  author,  title, 
publisher  and  price  of  about  50,000  carefully  selected 
and  carefully  classified  books. 


32  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

Sonnenschein,  W.  S.  Reader's  guide  to  contem- 
porary literature  (50,000V.),  supplement  to  Best  books, 
1895.     Sonnenschein,  London,  ^6.50, 

*Subject  headings  for  use  in  dictionary  catalogs, 
Library  Bureau,  1898,  %2.  In  a  small  library  this  is 
not  needed,  but  it  will  save  trouble  to  get  it. 

Lawrence,  L  Classified  reading.  A  list  with  pub- 
lishers and  prices  of  books  for  the  school,  the  library, 
and  the  home,  1898.  Normal  school,  St  Cloud,  Minn., 
$1.25. 

lies,  George.  List  of  books  for  girls  and  women 
and  their  clubs,  1895.     Library  Bureau,  $1. 

World's  library  congress,  papers  prepared  for, 
held  at  World's  Columbian  exposition,  Chicago,  1893. 
United  States  Bureau  of  education,  Washington,  D.  C, 
free.  Covers  very  fully  the  entire  field  of  library 
economy. 

II.    PERIODICALS 

Book  news,  monthly.  Wanamaker,  Philadelphia, 
50  cents.     (Book  reviews.) 

Dial,  semi-monthly,  24  Adams  St.,  Chicago,  $2. 
(Book  reviews,  notes  and  essays.) 

Literature,  weekly.  Harper  &  Bros.,  N.  Y.,  $4. 
(Current  English  and  American  literature.) 

Nation,  weekly.  New  York,  $3.  (Book  reviews, 
art,  politics.) 

Publishers'  weekly,  the  American  book  trade  jour- 
nal, 59  Duane  St.,  N.  Y.,  $5.  (Lists  nearly  all  Ameri- 
can and  best  English  books  as  published.) 

Library  journal,  monthly,  %^  a  year,  58  Duane  St., 
New  York.  This  is  the  official  organ  of  the  American 
Library  Association. 

Public  libraries,  monthly,  $1  a  year,  215  Madison 


THINGS    NEEDED    IN    BEGINNING   WORK 


33 


St.,  Chicago.  Presents  library  methods  in  a  manner 
especially  helpful  to  small  libraries. 

New  York  Times  Saturday  review  of  books  and  art. 
The  Times,  N.  Y.,  $i. 

Monthly  cumulative  book  index.  An  author,  title, 
and  subject  index  to  the  books  published  during  the 
current  year,  brought  up  to  date  in  one  alphabet  each 
month.     Morris  &  Wilson,  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  $1.50 

III.    OTHER  THINGS 

Accession  book.  See  catalog  of  the  Library  Bureau. 
For  a  very  small  library  a  common  blank-book  will  do. 

Agreement  blanks,  which  the  borrower  signs  before 
getting  his  borrower's  card  giving  him  the  right  to  use 
the  library.     See  chapter  on  charging  systems. 

Book  cards.  See  chapter  on  charging  systems,  and 
Library  Bureau  catalog. 

Book  pockets.  See  Library  Bureau  catalog,  and 
also  chapter  on  charging  systems. 

Borrowers'  cards.  Given  to  borrowers  as  evidence 
of  their  right  to  draw  books.  See  chapter  on  charging 
systems. 

Borrowers'  register,  best  kept  on  cards.  See  chap- 
ter on  charging  systems. 

Catalog  cards.  These  are  of  two  sizes  and  many 
thicknesses.  Select  what  suits  you.  See  Library 
Bureau  catalog. 

Catalog  case.  See  Library  Bureau  catalog.  For  a 
very  small  library  a  few  japanned  tin  trays  will  serve. 
But  your  catalog  will  grow  faster  than  you  suppose. 

Cole  size  card;  a  sheet  marked  in  such  a  way  as  to 
give  one  at  a  glance  the  proper  letter  to  use  in  indi- 
cating the  size  of  any  book  placed  on  it.     See  Library 


34  LIBRARY   PRIMER 

Bureau  catalog.     In  a  very  small  library  not  needed. 

Classification  scheme.  See  chapters  on  classifica- 
tion. 

Cutter  author  table  for  book  numbers.  See  chapter 
on  book  numbers.  For  a  very  small  library  one  can 
use  numbers  only. 

Daters  and  ink  pads  for  dating  borrowers'  cards, 
etc.  The  pencil  daters  are  best.  See  chapter  on  charg- 
ing systems. 

Ink.  For  all  outside  labels  use  Higgins'  American 
drawing  ink,  waterproof.  For  book  cards,  borrowers' 
cards,  etc.,  use  any  good  black,  non-copying  ink.  Car- 
ter's fluid  is  very  good. 

Labels.  Round  ones  are  best  and  those  ready 
gummed  do  well  if  carefully  put  on.  Dennison's  "88A" 
are  good. 

Paste.  Binder's  paste  is  good;  for  library  use  it 
needs  thinning.  Higgins'  photo  mounter  and  other 
like  bottled  pastes  are  better. 

Rubber  stamps  and  ink  pad  for  marking  books  with 
name  of  library.  See  chapter  on  preparing  books  for 
the  shelves. 

Shelf  list  cards.     See  Library  Bureau  catalog. 

Shelf  list  sheets  (or  cards).  See  Library  Bureau 
catalog.  In  a  very  small  library  sheets  of  ordinary 
ruled  writing  paper  will  serve.  It  is  better,  however, 
to  get  the  right  thing  at  the  start. 


RELATION    OF   LIBRARY   BUREAU   TO    LIBRARIES 


35 


CHAPTER  X 
The  relation  of  the  Library  Bureau  to  libraries 
Geo.  B.  Meleney,  Ch.  Mgr.,  in  Public  Libraries,  May,  1896 

The  consideration  of  the  relations  of  the  Library- 
Bureau  to  libraries  brings  us  back  to  the  organization 
of  the  American  Library  Association  in  1876.  At 
this  gathering  of  the  prominent  librarians  of  the  coun- 
try, the  discussion  of  methods  brought  out  the  lack  of 
unanimity  in,  and  the  need  of  cooperation  for,  a  uni- 
form system  in  the  various  branches  of  library  work. 
To  carry  out  uniform  methods  requires  uniform  mate- 
rial, and  this  was  hard  to  obtain.  The  American  Li- 
brary Association  as  such,  of  course,  could  not  take  up 
a  business  venture  of  this  kind,  but  it  was  decided  to 
advise  an  organization  for  keeping  on  sale  such  sup- 
plies and  library  aids  as  the  association  might  decide 
were  needed. 

The  Library  Bureau  was  then  organized  for  this  pur- 
pose, and  has  continued  to  keep  the  same  relation  to- 
ward the  library  association  as  was  originally  intended. 
Referring  to  the  numbers  of  the  Library  Bureau  cata- 
logs, one  may  trace  the  history  of  the  development 
not  only  of  the  appliances  furnished  by  the  Librar. 
Bureau,  but  also  of  ideas  of  library  economy  as  tney 
are  gathered  there  from  every  source.  It  confined  its 
attention  at  first  to  libraries  only,  the  business  being 
divided  into  four  departments:  employment,  to  bring 
together  libraries  and  librarians;  consultation,  to  give 
expert  advice  on  any  phase  of  any  library  question; 


36  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

publication,  to  publish  the  various  needed  helps  (from 
point  of  usefulness  to  libraries  rather  than  profit  to 
publishers);  supply,  to  furnish  at  lower  prices  all  arti- 
cles recommended  by  the  A.  L.  A.,  and  to  equip  any 
library  with  best  known  devices  in  everything  needful. 
Among  the  things  noticed  in  these  departments  are 
catalog  cards,  cases,  trays,  and  outfits,  book  supports, 
blanks,  book  pockets,  boxes,  desks,  inks,  etc.  Some 
specialties  are  noted  in  library  devices,  and  helpful 
advice  as  to  their  economical  use  is  given.  The  suc- 
cessive catalogs  follow  the  same  line,  attention  being 
directed  toward  all  improvements  in  old  material,  and 
to  all  advanced  work  in  library  administration  wher- 
ever found.  Not  all  the  material  recommended  was 
manufactured  by  the  Library  Bureau,  but  a  generous 
spirit  is  shown  in  recommending  any  device,  plan,  or 
publication  known  to  be  helpful  to  the  library  profes- 
sion. It  has  brought  to  notice  many  notable  contri- 
butions to  library  literature,  such  as  the  Author  table, 
by  C.  A.  Cutter,  of  the  Boston  athenaeum;  Decimal 
classification  and  relative  index  and  Library  notes,  by 
Melvil  Dewey;  Library  journal;  Library  school  rules; 
Perkins*  manual;  Linderfelt's  rules;  Sargent's  Reading 
for  the  young;  Lists  of  books  for  different  clubs;  Sub- 
ject headings  of  A,  L.  A.,  etc.  The  Library  Bureau 
catalog  itself  is  one  of  the  best  library  aids  ever  pub- 
lished. These  catalogs  have  always  been  sent  free  to 
library  workers. 

Libraries  grew  in  numbers  and  size  largely  because 
of  the  enthusiasm  of  earnest  workers,  but  very  fre- 
quently with  hardly  enough  financial  assistance  to  war- 
rant more  than  the  purchase  of  a  few  books,  and  fre- 
quently with  limited  knowledge  of  how  to  make  the 


RELATION   OF   LIBRARY   BUREAU   TO    LIBRARIES        37 

small  store  of  use  to  the  waiting  public.  The  manage- 
ment of  the  Library  Bureau  at  this  time  was  certainly- 
doing  a  missionary  work;  but  its  chief  problem  was 
the  financial  one,  or  how  to  make  both  ends  meet,  and 
it  was  not  until  library  methods  were  introduced  into 
business  houses  that  this  question  was  solved.  The 
constant  and  untiring  efforts  of  the  management  of  the 
Library  Bureau  toward  the  assistance  and  upbuilding 
of  the  smaller  and  younger  libraries  have  had  much  to 
do  with  the  growth  of  library  sentiment,  which  is  now 
so  apparent  on  every  hand,  and  indirectly  this  knowl- 
edge of  library  work  and  library  methods  has  done 
much  to  enlarge  the  facilities  of  the  Library  Bureau. 

From  a  very  unpretentious  concern,  publishing  a 
few  library  aids,  manufacturing  such  library  devices  as 
could  not  be  obtained  elsewhere,  and  keeping  for  sale 
a  few  articles  of  library  furnishing,  the  Library  Bureau 
has  grown  to  be  a  corporation  of  no  small  proportions, 
having  numerous  branches  both  in  this  country  and 
Europe,  maintaining  a  card  factory,  cabinet  works  in 
Boston  and  Chicago,  and  facilities  for  the  manufacture 
of  steel  stacks  unexcelled  in  this  country. 

The  Library  Bureau,  however,  has  never  forgotten 
the  cause  of  its  birth  or  the  teachings  of  its  youth,  as 
is  clearly  evidenced  from  year  to  year  by  the  various 
undertakings  and  publications  which  a  careful  observer 
can  clearly  see  are  not  put  forward  with  any  presage  of 
success  when  viewed  entirely  from  a  business  stand- 
point. This  lesson  is  constantly  taught  to  the  em- 
ployes of  the  Library  Bureau,  and  they  are  positively 
instructed  that,  regardless  of  the  promise  of  success  in 
other  directions,  the  attention  to  library  requirements 
is  the  first  demand. 


38  LIBRARY   PRIMER 

The  Library  Bureau  maintains  at  its  various  offices 
persons  thoroughly  versed  in  library  economy,  for  the 
express  purpose  of  furnishrng  detailed  information  and 
aid  to  those  younger  members  of  the  profession  whom 
they  have  the  pleasure  and  opportunity  of  assisting 
over  the  stumbling-blocks  in  their  daily  work.  With 
this  same  idea  in  view  it  publishes  from  the  Chicago 
office  a  monthly  magazine  called  Public  Libraries,  of 
an  elementary  character,  which  is  entertaining,  instruct- 
ive, and  inspiring,  and  helps- to  encourage  a  sentiment 
favorable  to  public  libraries  and  to  make  librarianship 
a  profession  of  high  standing. 


SELECTING  BOOKS  39 


CHAPTER   XI 
Selecting  books— Fitting  the  library  to  its  owners 

The  selection  of  books  should  be  left  to  the  libra- 
rian, under  the  general  direction  of  trustees  or  book 
committee. 

There  should  be  made  at  the  start  a  collection  of 
encyclopedias,  dictionaries,  gazetteers,  and  scientific 
compendiums,  which  should  not  be  lent.  The  extent 
of  this  collection  will  depend  on  the  scope  and  pur- 
poses of  the  library.  No  library,  however  small,  can 
dispense  with  some  books  of  reference.  But  for  a  small 
library  don't  buy  expensive  works.  The  Encyclopaedia 
Britannica  is  an  example  of  what  not  to  get. 

There  must  be  taken  into  consideration,  in  deter- 
mining the  character  of  the  books  to  be  purchased, 
these  factors  among  others: 

a)  Presence  or  absence  of  other  libraries  in  the 
vicinity,  and  their  character,  if  present. 

b)  The  avowed  purposes  of  the  free,  tax-supported 
public  library,  to-wit:  i)  To  help  people  to  be  happy; 
2)  to  help  them  to  become  wise;  3)  to  encourage  them 
to  be  good. 

c)  The  amount  of  money  to  be  expended  and  the 
sum  that  will  probably  be  available  for  each  succeeding 
year. 

d)  The  manner  in  which  the  books  are  to  be  used; 
whether  they  are  to  be  lent,  or  are  to  be  used  only  for 
reference,  or  are  to  form  both  a  reference  and  a  lending 
library. 


40  LIBRARY  PRIMER 

e)  The  class  of  people  by  whom  they  are  to  be  used, 
and  if  children,  whether  for  school  work  only,  or  for 
general  reading,  or  for  both. 

f )  The  occupations  and  leading  local  interest.s  of 
the  community. 

g)  The  character  and  average  degree  of  intelligence 
of  the  community. 

h)  The  habits,  as  to  reading  and  study,  of  those 
who  will  use  the  library. 

The  village  library,  in  its  early  days,  can  well  afford 
to  begin  at  the  level  of  the  community's  average  read- 
ing. At  the  same  time  it  must  always  try  to  go  a  little 
ahead  of  the  demands  of  the  people,  and  develop  a  taste 
and  desire  for  the  very  best  books  it  can  get.  The 
masses  of  the  people  have  very  little  of  literary  culture. 
It  is  the  purpose  of  the  public  library  to  develop  this 
by  creating  in  them  the  habit  of  reading.  As  a  rule 
people  read  books  which  are  above  their  own  intellec- 
tual and  moral  standard,  and  hence  are  benefited  by 
reading.  The  reading  of  books  generally  leads  to  the 
reading  of  better  books. 

Then  do  not  aim  too  high.  Avoid  trash,  but  do  not 
buy  literature  which  will  not  be  read  simply  because 
it  is  standard  or  classic.  Remember  that  the  public 
library  is  a  popular  institution  in  every  sense  of  the 
word;  that  it  has  become  possible  only  by  the  approval 
of  the  majority  of  the  population,  and  that  the  majority 
of  the  population  is  confined  in  its  turn  to  a  majority  of 
people  of  the  most  commonplace  kind. 

Do  not  pander  to  any  sect,  creed,  or  partisan  taste. 
Buy  largely  books  costing  from  50  cents  to  $2,  found 
in  so  many  of  the  series  now  published.  These  are 
fresh,  up-to-date,  written  for  the  most  part  by  compe- 


SELECTING   BOOKS  4 1 

tent  men,  and  are  reliable.  They  are  not  dull,  because 
no  one  can  afford  to  be  dull  in  a  i2mo  volume.  As  a 
general  thing  they  are  well  made,  supplied  with  maps 
and  illustrations  when  needed,  and  have  indexes.  Put 
much  of  your  money  into  the  history,  travel,  and  litera- 
ture of  your  own  country  first,  and  then  see  what  you 
have  left  for  Greece  and  Rome.  The  common  people 
nowadays  should  be  encouraged  in  their  interest  in 
their  own  country,  its  description,  history,  politics, 
biography,  mineral  resources,  literature.  The  people 
will  inquire  for  these  books,  and  they  should  be  pro- 
vided for  them.  Wait  until  the  library  is  larger  before 
investing  much  money  in  the  history  of  worn  out  em- 
pires, simply  because  such  and  such  a  person  wants 
them,  or  because  some  library  anywhere  from  two  to 
twenty  times  as  large  has  them.  Use  common  sense 
and  much  of  it. 

Put  into  the  people's  hands  books  worthy  of  their 
respect,  then  insist  that  they  be  handled  carefully 
and  treated  always  with  consideration.  Expensive 
books;  that  is,  books  which  are  first-class  in  paper, 
ink,  and  binding,  are  generally  better  worth  their  cost 
than  cheap  ones. 

In  the  first  purchases  buy  largely  for  children.  They 
are  the  library's  best  pupils.  They  are  more  easily 
trained  to  enjoy  good  books  than  their  elders.  Through 
them  the  homes  are  best  reached.  They  will,  by  their 
free  use  of  the  library,  and  by  their  approval  of  it,  do 
much  to  add  to  its  popularity.  The  best  books  for 
children  will  be  enjoyed  by  all. 

In  selecting  fiction,  get  from  the  older  librarians  a 
statement  of  what  are  the  most  popular  of  the  whole- 
some novels  found  on  their  shelves.     A  better  guide 


4?  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

than  this  it  will  be  difficult  to  find.  Fiction  is  of  the 
greatest  value  in  developing  a  taste  for  reading.  Every- 
one should  be  familiar  with  the  great  works  of  imagina- 
tion. Nearly  all  the  greatest  literature  of  the  world  is 
fiction.  The  educational  value  of  the  novel  is  not  often 
questioned. 

But  don't  buy  a  novel  simply  because  it  is  popular. 
If  you  follow  that  line  you  will  end  with  the  cheapest 
kind  of  stuff.  Some  librarians  pretend  that  they  must 
buy  to  please  the  public  taste;  that  they  can't  use  their 
own  judgment  in  selecting  books  for  a  library  which 
the  public  purse  supports.  Why  these  librarians  don't 
supply  the  Police  gazette  it  is  difficult  to  understand. 
"The  public"  would  like  it — some  of  them.  We  select 
school  committees  and  superintendents  and  teachers 
to  run  our  schools.  We  ask  them  to  inform  themselves 
on  the  subject  and  give  us  the  best  education  they  can. 
They  don't  try  to  suit  everybody.  They  try  to  furnish 
the  best.  Library  trustees  and  librarian  are  in  a  like 
case.  The  silly,  the  weak,  the  sloppy,  the  wishy-washy 
novel,  the  sickly  love  story,  the  belated  tract,  the  crude 
hodge-podge  of  stilted  conversation,  impossible  inci- 
dent, and  moral  platitude  or  moral  bosh  for  children — 
these  are  not  needed.  It  is  as  bad  to  buy  them  and 
circulate  them,  knowingly,  as  it  would  be  for  our  school 
authorities  to  install  in  our  schoolrooms  as  teachers 
romantic,  giggling  girls  and  smarty  boys.  Buy  good 
novels,  those  the  wise  approve  of,  in  good  type,  paper, 
and  binding;  keep  plenty  of  copies  of  each  on  hand; 
put  them  where  your  readers  can  handle  them;  add  a 
few  each  year  of  the  best  only  of  the  latest  novels,  and 
those  chiefly  on  trial  (not  to  be  bought  again  if  found 
not  to  have  real  merit)  and  your  public  will  be  satisfied, 


SELECTING   BOOKS  43 

and  your  library  will  be  all  the  time  raising  the  taste 
of  the  community. 

Some  books  should  not  be  put,  at  least  not  with- 
out comment,  into  the  hands  of  young  people.  Other 
books,  some  people  think,  should  not  be  read  by  young 
people.  Other  books,  some  people  think,  should  not 
be  in  a  public  library  at  all.  A  good  course  to  follow 
in  regard  to  such  books  is  to  consider  the  temper  of 
your  community  and  put  into  the  library  as  many  of 
them  as  are  noteworthy  in  a  literary  way  as  your  public 
and  your  resources  permit. 

In  other  departments  follow  at  first  the  guidance 
of  some  one  of  the  good  book  lists  now  available. 

Other  things  being  equal,  American  scientific  books 
are  preferable  to  those  by  foreign  authors.  In  all 
departments  select  the  latest  editions,  and,  at  first,  the 
recent  book  rather  than  the  older  book. 

The  proportion  of  books  in  the  different  depart- 
ments of  knowledge  must  vary  greatly  in  different 
libraries.     The  following  is  a  good  general  guide: 

Per  cent. 

General  works 04 

Philosophy 01 

Religion 02 

Sociology 09 

Philology 01 

Science 08 

Useful  arts 06 

Fine  arts 04 

Literature 12 

Biography 10 

History .13 

Travels 10 

Fiction 20 

Total 100 


44  LIBRARY   PRIMER 

Local  interest  should  be  fostered  by  buying  freely 
books  on  local  history  and  science  and  books  by  local 
authors. 

The  librarian  should  keep  informed  of  coming 
events,  and  see  that  the  library  is  provided  with  the 
books  for  which  there  is  sure  to  be  a  future  demand. 
He  should  avoid  personal  hobbies  and  be  impartial  on 
all  controversial  questions.  He  should  not  be  over- 
confident in  his  knowledge  of  what  will  elevate  and 
refine  the  community. 

It  is  better  to  buy  lo  extra  copies  of  a  wholesome 
book  wanted  by  the  public  than  one  copy  each  of  lo 
other  books  which  will  not  be  read. 

Do  not  waste  time,  energy,  and  money — certainly 
not  in  the  early  days  of  the  library — in  securing  or 
arranging  public  documents,  save  a  few  of  purely  local 
value.     Take  them  if  offered  and  store  them. 

Do  not  be  too  much  impressed  by  the  local  history 
plea,  and  spend  precious  money  on  rare  volumes  or  old 
journals  in  this  line. 

Certain  work  can  judiciously  be  done  toward 
collecting  and  preserving  materials  for  local  history 
that  will  involve  neither  expense  nor  much  labor,  and 
this  the  librarian  should  do.  Do  not  turn  the  public 
library,  which  is  chiefly  to  be  considered  as  a  branch  of 
a  live,  everyday  system  of  popular  education,  into  a 
local  antiquarian  society;  but  simply  let  it  serve  inci- 
dentally as  a  picker-up  of  unconsidered  trifles.  A  wide- 
awake, scholarly  librarian  will  like  his  town,  and  delight 
in  at  least  some  study  of  its  antecedents.  And  such  a 
librarian  need  not  be  a  crank,  but  must  needs  be  an 
enterprising,  wide-awake,  appreciative  student,  who  can 
scent  the  tastes  and  needs  of  posterity. 


SELECTING   BOOKS  45 

Put  no  money  into  rare  books.  A  book  which  was 
out  of  print  lo  years  or  200  years  ago,  and  has  not 
insisted  upon  republication  since,  has,  ordinarily,  no 
place  in  the  active,  free  public  library.  If  you  get  it, 
sell  it  and  buy  a  live  book. 

The  free  public  library  should  encourage  its  readers 
to  suggest  books  not  in  the  library,  by  providing  blanks 
for  that  purpose,  and  paying  courteous  attention  to  all 
requests. 

Ask  by  letter,  by  circulars,  and  by  notes  in  the  local 
papers,  for  gifts  of  books,  money,  and  periodicals. 
Acknowledge  every  gift.  Remember  that  one  who  has 
helped  the  library,  be  it  ever  so  little,  has  thereby 
become  interested  in  it,  and  is  its  friend. 


46  LIBRARY   PRIMER 


CHAPTER  XII 

Reference  books  for  a  small  library,  compiled  by  C.  A.  Baker, 
of  the  Public  library,  Denver 

This  list  includes  about  75  books,  costing  about 
^550.  It  is  arranged  alphabetically.  It  is  subdivided 
into  four  lists,  arranged  according  to  relative  impor- 
tance. This  subdivision  is  shown  by  the  numbers  pre- 
fixed to  each  entry. 

2.  Adams,  C.  K.  Manual  of  historical  literature. 
1889.     O.     Harper,  cl.  :^2  50. 

I.  Adams,  O.  F.  Dictionary  of  American  authors. 
1897.     O.     Houghton,  Mifflin,  cl.  $3. 

I.  Adler,  G.  J.  Dictionary  of  the  German  and  Eng- 
lish languages.    1893.     Q.     Appleton,  mor.  $5. 

4.  AUibone,  S.  A.  Critical  dictionary  of  English 
literature.    1891,  3v.     Q.     Lippincott,  sh.  $22.50. 

4.  Allibone,  S.  A.  Supplement  to  the  critical  dic- 
tionary of  English  literature,  by  J.  F.  Kirk.  1892,  2v. 
Q.     Lippincott,  sh.  $15. 

I.  Appleton's  annual  cyclopaedia  and  register  of 
important  events.     Q.     Appletoa,  cl.  $5. 

3.  Appleton's  cyclopaedia  of  American  biography. 
1888-92,  6v.     Q.     Appleton,  cl.  $7,0,  half  mor.  $42. 

1.  Appleton's  cyclopaedia  of  applied  mechanics,  ed. 
by  P.  Benjamin.  1893,  2v.  Q.  Appleton,  sh.  ;^I5,  half 
mor.  $1^. 

2.  Appleton's  modern  mechanism,  supplement  to 
Cyclopaedia  of  applied  mechanics.  1892,1V.  Q.  Ap- 
pleton, sh.  $7.50,  half  mor.  $8.50. 


REFERENCE    BOOKS    FOR    A    SMALL    LIBRARY  47 

2.  Bartlett,  J.,  ed.  Familiar  quotations.  1892.  O. 
Little,  cl.  $^, 

3.  Bliss,  E.  M.,  ed.  Cyclopaedia  of  missions,  2v. 
1891.     Q.     Funk  &  Wagnalls,  cl.  ;^I2. 

I.  Bliss,  W.  D.  P.  Cyclopaedia  of  social  reform, 
including  political  economy,  science,  sociology,  statis- 
tics, anarchism,  charities,  civil  service,  currency,  land, 
etc.     1897.    Q-    Funk  &  Wagnalls,  cl.  $7.50,  sh.  $9.50. 

3.  Brannt,  W.  T.  and  Wahl,  W.  H.  Technico-chem- 
ical  receipt  book.    1895.     D.     Baird,  cl.  $2. 

1.  Brewer,  E.  C.  Reference  library,  1885-98.  4V. 
O.  Lippincott.  Si 3.  Dictionary  of  miracles,  Historic, 
notebook.  Dictionary  of  phrase  and  fable.  Reader's 
handbook. 

2.  Brown,  E.  and  Strauss,  A.  Dictionary  of  Amer- 
ican politics.     1895.     D.     Burt,  cl.,  $i. 

I.  Bryant,  W.  C,  ed.  Library  of  poetry  and  song. 
1876.     Q.     Fords,  Howard,  cl.,  $5. 

3.  Century  dictionary  and  cyclopaedia.  (Century 
dictionary  and  the  Century  cyclopaedia  of  names  com- 
bined with  the  atlas  of  the  world.)  lov.  Prices  from 
$60  to  Si 50.     Often  can  be  picked  up  second-hand. 

I.  Century  atlas  of  the  world.  1897.  F.  Century 
Co.,  cl.  $12.50,  half  mor.  S15. 

1.  Century  cyclopaedia  of  names,  n.  d.  F.  Century 
Co.,  cl.  S10.50,  buf.  $12. 50. 

(Note. — The  two  last  are  included  in  the  Century  dictionary 
and  cyclopaedia,  but  can  be  bought  separately.) 

2.  Chambers,  R.,  ed.  Book  of  days,  2v.  O.  Lip- 
pincott.   1893.     ^7- 

2.  Champlin,  J.  D.  jr.  Young  folks'  cyclopaedia  of 
common  things.    1893.     O.     Holt,  cl.  $2.50.. 

2.  Champlin,  J.  D.  jr.  Young  folks*  cyclopaedia  of 
persons  and  places.     1892.     O.     Holt,  cl.  $2.50. 


48  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

2.  Champlin,  J.  D.  jr.  and  Bostwick,  A.  E.  Young 
folks'  cyclopaedia  of  games  and  sports.  1890.  O.  Holt, 
cl.  $2.50. 

2.  Channing,  E.  and  Hart,  A.  B.  Guide  to  the  study 
of  American  history.     O.     Ginn.     1896.     $2. 

I.  Clement,  C.  E.  Painters,  architects,  engravers, 
and  their  work.  1881.  D.  Houghton,  Mifflin,  cl.  $3. 
(Artists  not  living.) 

I.  Clement,  C.  E.  and  Hutton,  L.  Artists  of  the 
19th  century  and  their  work.  1885  D.  Houghton  & 
Mifflin,  cl.  $3. 

4.  Cram's  Bankers  and  brokers' railroad  atlas;  com- 
plete alphabetical  index.      1898.     F.    Cram.    ^17.50. 

1.  Cumulative  index  of  periodicals,  monthly  and 
annual.     1898.     Helman-Taylor  Co.,  Cleveland,  pa.  $^. 

4.  Cyclopaedia  of  American  biographies.  J.  H. 
Brown,  ed.  1897.  v.  i,  A-C.  Q.  Cyclo.  Pub.  Co., 
Boston,  half  mor.  $y. 

2.  Fields,  J.  T.  and  Whipple,  E.  P.,  ed.  Family  li- 
brary of  British  poetry.  1882.  Q.  Houghton,  cl.  tt^, 
mor.  $10. 

3.  Fletcher,  W.  I.,  ed.  A.  L.  A.  index  to  general  lit- 
erature.    1893.    Q.     Houghton,  cl.  ^5. 

I.  Fletcher,  W.  I.,  ed.,  and  Bowker,  R.  R.  Annual 
literary  index,  including  periodicals  and  essays.  1899. 
O.     Publishers'  weekly,  cl.  $3.50. 

3.  Frey,  A.  R.  Sobriquets  and  nicknames.  1888. 
O.    Houghton,  cl.  $2. 

I.  Goodholme,  T.  S.  Domestic  encyclopaedia  of 
practical  information.     1889.     O.     Scribners,  cl.  ^5. 

I.  Harper's  book  of  facts.  C.  T.  Lewis,  ed.  1895. 
Q.    Harper.     Sub.  only,  ^8. 

3.  Harper's  cyclopaedia  of  British    and   American 


REFERENCE    BOOKS    FOR    A   SMALL   LIBRARY  49 

poetry.  E.  Sargent,  ed.  1881.  Q.  Harper,  hf.  leather,  ;^5. 

2.  Harper's  dictionary  of  classical  literature  and 
antiquities.  H.  T.  Peck,  ed.  1897.  Q-  Harper,  cl. 
$6. 

4.  Hastings,  J.     Dictionary   of  the    Bible,  4v.    O. 

1898.  Clark,  cl.  28s   per  vol.,  half  mor.  34s.  per  vol. 

3.  Haydn's  dictionary  of  dates.  B.  Vincent,  ed. 
1895.  O.     Putnam,  cl.  $6,  half  mor.  $g. 

2.  Hazell's  annual;  record  of  men  and  topics  of  the 
day.     1899.     D.    Hazell,  3s.  6d. 

2.  Hopkins,  A.  A.  Scientific  American  cyclopaedia 
of  receipts,  notes,  and  queries.    1892.    O.    cl.  $5,  sh.  $6 

I.  Hoyt,  J.  K.  Cyclopaedia  of  practical  quotations, 
English,  Latin,  and  modern  foreign.  1896.  Q.  Funk  & 
Wagnalls,  cl.  ;^5,  sh.  $8. 

I.  Jameson,  J.  F.  Dictionary  of  United  States  his- 
tory, 1492-1894.  1894.  Q.  Puritan  Pub  ,  cl.  $2.75,  half 
mor.  1^3.50. 

1.  Johnson's  universal  cyclopaedia.  1893,  ^v.  Q. 
Johnson,  half  mor.  ^56,  cl.  $48. 

2.  King,  M.,  ed.  Handbook  of  the  United  States. 
1891.     O.  King  (Matthews,  Northrop  Co.),  cl.  $2.50. 

3.  Larned,  J.  N.,  ed.  History  for  ready  reference, 
from  the  best  historians,  biographers,  and  specialists. 
1894.  5v.  Maps.  Nichols  Co.,  Springfield,  Mass.  cl. 
$^  each,  half  mor.  $6  each. 

2.  Lalor,  J.  J.,  ed.  .  Cyclopaedia  of  political  science, 
political  economy,  and  political  history  of  the  United 
States.     1890-93.    3v.    Q.     C.  E.  Merrill,  ^15. 

I.  Leypoldt,  A.  H.  and  lies,  G.  List  of  books  for 
girls  and  women.  Dewey  classification  numbers  with 
each  entry.     1895.     Library  Bureau,  cl.  $1. 

I.  Lippincott's  gazetteer  of  the  world.  1896.  Q. 
Lippincott,  sh.  $8. 


50  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

4.  Lippincott's  universal  pronouncing  dictionary  of 
biography  and  mythology,  by  J.  Thomas.  1892.  Q. 
Lippincott,  in  iv.,  sh.  ^8,  half  turkey  $1 1 ;  in  2v.,  sh.  $10. 

2.  Lossing,  B.  J.  Popular  cyclopaedia  of  United 
States  history.     1893.     2v.     Q.     Harper,  mor.  $15. 

3.  Liibke,  W.  Outlines  of  the  history  of  art.  1891. 
2v.     O.     Dodd,  Mead,  half  roan,  ^7.50. 

I.  Matson,  H.  References  for  literary  workers. 
1893.    O.    McClurg,  ^2.50. 

1.  Men  and  women  of  the  time.  14th  ed.  1895.  ^• 
Routledge.    $c^. 

3.  Mineral  industry,  its  statistics,  technology,  and 
trade,  ed.  by  R.  R.  Rothwell,  annual.  O.  Scientific 
Pub.  Co  ,  cl.  $s. 

2.  Mulhall,  M.  G.  Dictionary  of  statistics.  1898. 
Ed.     4.     Q.     Routledge,  cl.  $2>. 

3.  Mulhall,  M.  G.  Industries  and  wealth  of  nations. 
1896.    O.     Longman,  cl.  $3. 

I.  Patrick,  D.  and  Gromme,  F.  H.,  eds.  Chambers 
biographical  dictionary.  1898.  O.  Lippincott,  half 
mor.  $3.50. 

4.  Poole,  W.  F.  and  Fletcher,  W.  Poole's  index  to 
periodical  literature.    O.    Houghton,  Mifflin. 

V.  I.  in  two  parts,  cl.  ;^i6,  sh.  1^24. 
V.  2.  Jan.  1882- Jan.  1887.    cl.  $8,  sh.  $10. 
V.  3.  Jan.  1887-  Jan.  1892.    cl.  $8,  sh.  $12. 
V.  4.  Jan.  1892- Jan.  1897.    cl.  $10,  sh.  $12. 
In  a  small  library  having  bound  periodicals  of  re- 
cent date  only,  volume  4  alone  is  sufficient. 

I.  Rand-McNally  indexed  atlas  of  the  world.  1897. 
2v.  58x41  cm.  Rand-McNally.  cl.  1^18.50,  half  leather, 
;?i23.50. 


REFERENCE    BOOKS    FOR    A   SMALL    LIBRARY  5 1 

3.  Riemann,  H.    Dictionary  of  music.    O.  Augenev, 

^375- 

2.  Smith,  H.  P.  and  Johnson,  H.  K.  Dictionary  ot 
terms,  phrases,  and  quotations.  1895.  O.  Appleton, 
half  leather,  $3. 

3.  Smith,  W.  Classical  dictionary.  New  edition  by 
Marindin.    1894.     O.     Appleton,  $6. 

I.  Smith,  W.  Dictionary  of  the  Bible.  1884.  O. 
Coates,  cl.  $2,  half  mor.  $3. 

3.  Smith,  W.  and  Cheetham,  S.  Dictionary  of  Chris- 
tian antiquities.  1891.  2v.  O.  Burr,  Hartford,  Conn., 
cl.  $7,  leather  $S. 

I.  Soule,    R.     Dictionary    of    English    synonyms.  1^ 
1895.     O.     Lippincott,  cl.  $2.25,  mor.  $275. 

I.  Spiers,  A.  and  Surenne,  O.  French  and  English 
pronouncing  dictionary.    1891.  Q.   Appleton,  half  mor. 

$5- 

1.  Standard  dictionary  of  the  English  language,  2v. 
Q.  1895.  Funk  &  Wagnalls,  half  fus.  ^15;  with  Deni- 
son's  reference  index,  $iy. 

3.  Statesmen's  year  book,  1899,  v.  36.  D.  Macmil- 
lan,  $s. 

2.  Walsh,  W.  S.  Handy  book  of  literary  curiosi- 
ties,    1893.     O.     Lippincott,  half  leather,  $3.50. 

2.  Walsh,  W.  S.  Curiosities  of  popular  customs, 
and  of  rites,  ceremonies,  observances  and  miscella- 
neous antiquities.     1898.    O.   Lippincott,  half  leather, 

^3-50. 

1.  Webster,  N.  International  dictionary.  Spring- 
field, Mass.    Merriam.     1891.    ^10. 

2.  Wheeler,  W.  A.  Familiar  allusions.  1891.  D. 
Houghton,  cl.  $2. 

2.  Wheeler,  W.  A.    Explanatory  and  pronouncing 


52  LrBRARY    PRIMER 

dictionary  of  noted  names  of  fiction.    1892.  D.  Hough- 
ton, cl.  $2. 

3.  Wheeler,W.  A.  andC.G.  Who  wrote  it?  D.  Lee 
&  Shepard,  cl.  $2. 

2.  Whitaker's  almanac.  1899.  D.  Whitaker,  paper, 
2s.  6d. 

Whitaker's  directory  of  titled  persons  for  the  year 
1898;  a  companion  to  his  Almanac.  D.  Whitaker, 
paper,  2s.  6d. 

3.  Who's  who?  annual;  autobiographies  of  the  lead- 
ing  men  and  women  of  the  day;  complete  peerage,  etc. 
1899.    D.     Black,  cl.  3s.  6d. 

1.  World  almanac  and  encyclopaedia.  1898.  D.  New 
York  World,  pa.  25  cents. 

2.  Young,  R.  Analytical  concordance  to  the  Bible, 
n.  d.  Ed.  6.  Q.  Religious  tract  society,  cl.  24s.,  mor. 
30s. 


REFERENCE   WORK 


53 


CHAPTER  XIII 

Reference  work — Helping  the  inexperienced  inquirer  — 
Periodicals 

Reference  work  in  libraries  large  and  small  has  for 
its  first  rule:  Meet  the  inquirer  more  than  half  way. 
To  the  stranger  a  library  is  often  an  oppressive  place, 
an  awesome  place — in  his  imagination.  He  comes  in 
shyly;  everyone  appears  busy,  his  question  suddenly 
seems  to  him  trivial;  he  won't  trouble  these  wise  and 
busy  people  with  it  -and  goes  out. 

A  good  second  rule  is:  Learn  at  once  just  exactly 
what  the  inquirer  wishes  to  know.  This  is  not  always 
easy.    Tact  and  a  little  patience  will  generally  effect  it. 

A  good  third  rule  is:  Whenever  possible  show  the 
inquirer  how  the  answer  is  found,  so  that  he  may  next 
time  in  some  measure  help  himself.  It  is  surprising 
how  many,  especially  of  the  younger  people  in  a  com- 
munity, can  be  taught  within  one  year,  on  their  occa- 
sional visits,  to  make  the  proper  use  of  at  least  a  few 
reference  books. 

Another  rule  of  very  general  application  is:  Go  first 
to  a  dictionary.  In  many  cases  a  question  answers  it- 
self, or  betrays  where  its  answer  may  best  be  found,  if 
it  is  once  plainly  stated.  And  nothing  is  better  than 
reference  to  a  few  words  in  a  dictionary  for  the  clear 
statement  of  a  question.  The  larger  dictionaries, 
moreover,  and  notably  the  Century,  will  answer  many 
more  inquiries  than  even  great  readers  often  suppose. 

Many   questions    come   up   again    and   again.     Of 


54  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

these,  and  of  the  references  which  answered  them,  notes 
should  be  kept  on  cards  for  future  use.  In  fact  it  is 
well  to  keep  an  index  in  this  way  of  the  references 
looked  up  for  all  the  more  important  inquiries. 

The  following  excellent  advice  is  from  an  article  on 
The  use  of  periodicals  in  reference  work,  by  Frederick 
Winthrop  Faxon,  in  Public  Libraries  for  June,  1898: 

"In  all  reference  work  periodicals  play  a  large  part. 
They  may  be  roughly  divided  into  two  great  classes, 
the  technical  and  the  popular.  The  former  are  indis- 
pensable to  the  scholar,  or  the  expert,  and  in  the  rapid 
advancement  of  science  are  the  only  real  sources  of 
information.  Text-books  or  treatises  are  out  of  date 
before  published;  therefore  for  a  correct  present  view, 
or  a  complete  history  of  the  development  of  any  sci- 
ence, the  technical  reviews  and  society  transactions 
must  be  consulted.  These  will  be  the  principal  part  of 
a  scientific  library,  and  should  be  in  the  large  public 
and  college  libraries  in  order  to  cover  advanced  study. 
They  have,  on  the  other  hand,  little  place  in  small  li- 
braries— they  would  seldom  be  of  use,  and  are  very 
expensive. 

"But  the  popular  periodicals  every  library  needs. 
In  the  better  class  of  these  reviews  it  is  possible,  if  we 
know  where  to  look,  to  find  several  articles  on  both 
sides  of  almost  any  subject.  Furthermore,  these  are 
often  written  by  the  foremost  authors  or  scientists,  and 
are  in  a  language  intelligible  to  all.  The  amateur  can- 
not give  the  time  or  patience  to  wade  two-volume 
deep  in  the  subject  his  club  wishes  him  to  treat  in  half 
an  hour's  speech.  The  magazine  gives  just  what  he 
wants  in  several  pages.  There  are  periodicals  exclu- 
sively devoted  to  every  branch  of  every  science,  and 


REFERENCE   WORK  55 

magazines  which,  in  their  files,  include  articles  on  all 
subjects.  This  mine  of  information  has  been  opened 
up  by  Poole's  index.  Since  1881,  when  the  third  and 
enlarged  edition  of  Poole's  index  was  published,  all 
this  is  common  property  for  the  asking.  Grouped 
around  Poole  and  keeping  pace  with  the  times  are  the 
Poole  supplements,  which  ought,  perhaps,  to  be  named 
the  Fletchers,  covering  the  five-year  periods  since 
1881,  ending  respectively  1886,  1891,  1896.  Then  the 
Annual  literary  index  gives  a  yearly  index  of  subjects 
and  authors,  and  serves  as  a  supplement  to  the  Poole 
supplement.  For  such  as  cannot  be  even  a  year  with- 
out a  periodical  index  we  now  have  the  admirable 
Cumulative  index,  bi-monthly,  edited  by  the  Cleveland 
public  library.  Thus  all  the  principal  periodicals  since 
the  beginning  of  the  century  may  be  consulted  by  ref- 
erence to  one  or  more  of  five  single  books  or  alphabets. 

"The  Review  of  reviews  must  be  mentioned  as  a 
useful  monthly  index  to  current  periodical  literature, 
but  of  little  value  for  study  reference  as  compared  with 
the  indexes  just  mentioned.  An  annual  index  issued 
by  the  Review  of  reviews,  since  1890,  is  good  in  its 
way,  though  rather  superficial.  Sargent's  Reading  for 
the  young,  and  its  supplement,  index  the  juvenile  sets 
of  St  Nicholas,  Harper's  young  people,  and  Wide 
Awake.  Poole  and  the  Cumulative  are  of  little  use 
without  a  fair  assortment  of  the  sets  therein  indexed. 

"Thus  far  442  titles  (practically  all  of  them  serials 
published  since  1800)  have  been  indexed.  It  is  a  mis- 
take, however,  to  suppose  that  most  of  these  are  nec- 
essary in  a  small  library  before  Poole's  index  should 
be  purchased  or  can  be  of  use.  Given  Poole  and  a 
complete   set   of    Littell's    living   age,   and    Harper's 


56  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

monthly,  more  reference  work  can  be  done  than  with 
twice  the  number  of  reference  books  not  periodicals. 
A  small  collection  of  sets  has  enabled  more  than  one 
struggling  library  to  hold  its  own  with  the  students  and 
club  members,  and  to  accomplish  work  which  could 
not  have  been  done  as  well  with  many  works  of  refer- 
ence, the  purchase  of  which  would  have  exhausted  the 
whole  book  fund." 


READING  ROOM — PERIODICALS  57 


CHAPTER  XIV 
Reading  room — Periodicals 

A  free  reading  room  is  generally  opened  in  connec- 
tion with  the  library,  and  often  proves  its  most  attract- 
ive feature.  It  should  be  comfortably  furnished  and 
scrupulously  clean.  As  the  room  is  for  the  use  of  all 
clean  and  orderly  people,  quiet  should  be  maintained 
to  give  all  a  chance  to  read  and  study  without  interrup- 
tion. There  should  be  no  signs  commanding  things, 
and  the  fewest  possible — and  they  unobtrusive — request- 
ing things.  Signs  giving  information  helpful  to  readers 
are  always  permissible;  but  see  that  they  harmonize 
with  the  furnishings  of  the  room  and  are  clean.  Gray, 
or  some  modest  tint,  is  preferable  to  white  cardboard 
for  all  signs.  The  general  atmosphere  of  the  place 
should  be  such  as  one  would  wish  to  have  in  his  own 
home — orderly,  inviting,  cheerful. 

The  village  library  ought  to  preserve  for  reference 
a  file  of  local  papers;  and  it  seems  proper  for  it  to  pro- 
vide for  public  use  a  few  dailies  or  weeklies  from  the 
nearest  cities.  Further  than  this  in  this  direction  it 
would  not  seem  expedient  to  go,  because  better  work 
can  be  done,  with  the  money  newspapers  would  cost,  in 
other  directions.  In  fact,  where  the  room  is  limited,  as 
well  as  funds,  it  will  often  be  better  to  provide  no  news- 
papers at  all.  Few  are  unable  to  get  papers  to  read 
elsewhere.  The  library  can  well  devote  itself  to  the 
encouraging  the  reading  of  other  things.  Most  people 
read  the  newspapers   enough,  library  or   no    library. 


58  LIBRARY   PRIMER 

Many,  save  for  the  library,  would  not  read  the  stand- 
ard American  and  English  periodicals. 

The  young  people  are  the  library's  most  hopeful 
material.  To  them  the  librarian  hopes  to  give,  through 
books  and  journals,  an  added  pleasure;  and  in  them 
he  hopes  to  awaken  a  taste  for  reading  something — in 
time  something  good.  To  attract  the  children  it  will 
be  wise  to  have  on  file  a  few  juvenile  journals  and  pic- 
ture papers  and  illustrated  magazines.  As  to  the  stand- 
ard and  popular  monthlies  and  quarterlies  there  seems 
to  be  no  question;  they  should  be  taken  freely.     The 


Magazine  binder.     (Reduced;  various  sizes.) 

magazines  furnish  us  with  the  best  fiction,  the  best 
poetry,  the  best  essays,  the  best  discussions  of  all  sub- 
jects, old  and  new,  and  the  latest  science.  It  is  a  ques- 
tion if  many  a  village  library  would  not  do  more,  vastly 
more,  to  stimulate  the  mental  life  of  its  community, 
and  to  broaden  its  views  and  sympathies,  and  to  encour- 
age study,  if  it  diverted  a  far  larger  part  of  its  income 
than  it  now  does  from  inferior  books,  and  especially  in- 
ferior novels,  to  weekly  journals  and  popular  and  stand- 
ard magazines.     It  is  not  yet  fully  impressed  upon  us 


READING   ROOM — PERIODICALS  59 

that  the  thing  the  community  needs  is  not  a  "library" — 
it  may  have  a  street  lined  with  "libraries"  and  still 
dwell  in  the  outer  darkness — but  contact  with  the 
printed  page.  Get  this  contact  first,  then,  by  means  of 
attractive  rooms,  and  clean,  wholesome,  interesting 
periodicals  and  books,  and  let  the  well  rounded  stu- 
dents' collection  of  books  come  on  as  it  will. 

From  5  to  20  per  cent  can  very  often  be  saved  on 
the  cost  of  periodicals  by  ordering  them  through  a 
reliable  subscription  agency. 

The  custom  is  extending  of  taking  extra  numbers 
of  the  popular  magazines  and  lending  them  as  if  they 
were  books,  though  generally  for  a  shorter  period  and 
without  the  privilege  of  renewal.  When  this  is  done, 
put  each  magazine  in  a  binder  made  for  the  purpose, 
and  marked  with  the  library's  name,  to  keep  it  clean 
and  smooth,  and  to  identify  it  as  library  property. 
Similar  binders  are  often  put  on  the  magazines  which 
are  placed  in  the  reading  rooms.  (See  Library  Bureau 
catalog.) 

Complete  volumes  of  the  magazines  are  in  great 
demand  with  the  borrowing  public.  The-  magazine 
indexes  now  available  will  make  useful  to  the  student 
the  smallest  library's  supply  of  periodical  literature. 

In  small  reading  rooms  the  periodicals  that  are  sup- 
plied should  be  placed  on  tables  where  readers  can 
consult  them  without  application  to  the  attendants. 
Files  and  racks  for  newspapers,  special  devices  for 
holding  illustrated  journals,  and  other  things  of  like 
nature,  are  to  be  found  in  great  variety. 

Post  up  in  the  reading  room  a  list  of  the  periodicals 
regularly  received;  also  a  list  of  those  in  the  bound 
files. 


60  LIBRARY   PRIMER 

A  careful  record  should  be  kept  of  each  magazine 
ordered,  of  the  date  when  ordered,  the  date  when  the 
subscription  begins  and  expires,  the  price  paid,  the 
agency  from  which  it  is  ordered,  and  the  date  of  that 
agency's  receipted  bill.  If  the  list  of  journals  taken  is 
small  this  record  can  be  kept  very  conveniently  in  a 
blank  book.  If  it  is  large  and  constantly  growing  or 
changing,  it  is  best  kept  on  cards,  a  card  to  each  jour- 
nal, and  all  alphabetically  arranged.  It  saves  much 
trouble  when  dealing  with  an  agency  to  have  subscrip- 
tions coincide  with  the  calendar  year,  disregarding  the 
volume  arrangements  of  the  publishers. 


PERIODICALS    FOR    A   SMALL    LIBRARY  6l 


CHAPTER  XV 

List  of  periodicals  for  a  small  library 
[See  also  chapter  List  of  things  needed  in  beginning  workj 

Century  magazine  (monthly),  illus.     N.Y.    Century  Co. 

Ed.  by  R.  W.  Gilder,  $4. 
Harper's  new  monthly  magazine,  illus.     N.  Y.    Harper. 

Ed.  by  H.  M.  Alden,  $4. 
Harper's  round  table  (monthly),  illus.     N.  Y.     Harper, 

$1. 
St  Nicholas  (monthly),  illus.    N.  Y.    Century  Co.    Ed. 

'   by  Mary  Mapes  Dodge,  $3. 
Forum  (monthly),  N.  Y.     Forum  Co.,  $3. 
Harper's  weekly,  illus.     N.  Y.     Harper,  $4. 
Youth's  companion  (weekly).     Boston.     Perry  Mason 

Co.,  ^1.75. 
McClure's  magazine  (monthly),  illus.     N.  Y.     Double- 
day  &  McClure,  $1. 
Ladies'  home  journal  (monthly),  illus.     Phila.     Curtis 

Pub,  Co.,  $1. 
Independent  (weekly).     N.Y.     $2. 
Outlook  (weekly),  illus.     N.  Y.     S3. 
Engineering  magazine  (monthly).     N.Y.     $3. 
Life  (weekly),  illus.     N.  Y.     $5. 
Nineteenth  century  (monthly).     N.  Y.     Leonard  Scott 

Co.,  ;^4.50. 
Review  of  reviews   (monthly),  illus.     N.  Y.     Ed.  by 

Albert  Shaw,  $2.50. 
Contemporary  review    (monthly).      N.   Y.     Leonard 

Scott  Co.,  54.50. 


02  LIBRARY   PRIMER 

Critic  (monthly),  illus.     N.  Y.     Critic  Co.,  $2. 
Nation  (weekly).     N.  Y.     Evening  Post  Co.,  $3. 
Educational  review  (monthly),  N.  Y.     Holt,  S3. 
Kindergarten    magazine    (monthly),    illus.     Chicago 

Kindergarten  Literature  Co.,  $2. 
Appleton's  popular  science  monthly,  illus.     N.  Y.    Ap- 

pleton,  $5. 
Scientific  American  (weekly),  illus.    N.  Y.     Munn,  ^^3. 

With  supplement,  $'j. 
Scientific  American  supplement  (weekly),  illus.     N.  Y. 

Munn,  $5. 
Art  amateur  (monthly),  illus.    N.Y.    Montague  Marks. 

$4. 
Outing  (monthly),  illus.     N.  Y.     Outing  Co.,  $3. 


BUYING  BOOKS  63 


CHAPTER   XVI 
Buying  books 

A  good  book  for  a  library,  speaking  of  the  book 
as  to  its  wearing  qualities  and  as  to  the  comfort  of  its 
users,  is  printed  on  paper  which  is  thin  and  pliable, 
but  tough  and  opaque.  Its  type  is  not  necessarily 
large,  but  is  clear-cut  and  uniform,  and  set  forth  with 
ink  that  is  black,  not  muddy.  It  is  well  bound,  the 
book  opening  easily  at  any  point.  The  threads  in  the 
back  are  strong  and  generously  put  in.  The  strings  or 
tapes  onto  which  it  is  sewn  are  stout,  and  are  laced  into 
the  inside  edges  of  the  covers,  or  are  strong  enough 
to  admit  of  a  secure  fastening  with  paste  and  paper.  In 
ordering  books  of  which  several  editions  are  on  the 
market,  specify  the  edition  you  wish.  When  you  have 
found  a  good  edition  of  a  popular  author  like  Scott  or 
Dickens,  make  a  note  of  it  on  the  shelf-list. 

In  giving  your  orders,  always  try  your  local  dealer 
first.  If  he  cannot  give  you  good  terms,  or,  as  is  very 
likely  to  be  the  case,  has  not  the  information  or  the 
facilities  which  enable  him  to  serve  you  well,  submit  a 
copy  of  the  list  to  several  large  book  dealers,  choosing 
those  nearest  your  town,  and  ask  for  their  discounts. 
It  is  economical,  generally,  to  purchase  all  your  books 
through  one  dealer,  thus  saving  letter  writing,  misun- 
derstandings, freight,  express,  and  general  discomfort. 

Keep  a  record  of  all  books  ordered.  The  best  form 
of  record  is  on  slips,  using  a  separate  slip  for  each 
book.     These   order  slips  should   have   on  them  the 


64 


LIBRARY    PRIMER 


author's  surname,  brief  title,  number  of  volumes,  abbre- 
viated note  of  place,  publisher,  year,  publisher's  price 
if  known,  name  of  dealer  of  whom  ordered,  date  when 
ordered,  and  if  its  purchase  has  been  requested  by 
anyone  that  person's  name  and  address. 

For  transmitting  the  order  to  the  book  dealer,  a 
list  on  sheets  should  be  made  from  the  order  slips, 
arranged  either  by  publishers  or  alphabetically  by 
authors.  This  list  may  be  written  on  one  side  of  the 
paper  only,  with  copying  ink,  and  a  letter-press  copy 


Simple  forrii  of  order  slip  on  plain  paper.  (Reduced;  actual  size,  7Mxi2j^  cm.) 

taken;  or,  make  a  carbon  copy  of  the  sheet  sent  to 
the  dealer.  The  carbon  copy  has  the  advantage  of 
being  easier  to  handle  and  better  to  write  on.  The 
books  as  received  should  be  checked  by  this  copy,  or 
by  the  order  cards.  The  cards  for  books  received 
should  be  put  by  themselves,  alphabetically,  and  kept 
until  the  books  they  represent  have  been  cataloged 
and  the  cards  for  them  have  been  properly  entered  in 
the  card  catalog.  You  thus  will  have  lists  i)  of  books 
ordered  and  not  received;  2)  of  books  received  and  not 
cataloged;  3)  of  books  cataloged.  If  few  books  are 
bought  this  work  is  unnecessary. 


BUYING   BOOKS 


65 


Books  will  often  be  ordered  at  the  request  of  inter- 
ested persons.  In  such  cases  the  name  and  address  of 
the  person  asking  for  the  book  should  be  entered  on 
the  bottom  of  the  order  slip  for  that  book.  When  the 
book  comes,  and  has  been  made  ready  for  use,  send  a 
note  to  this  person,  notifying  him  of  the  fact  of  its 
arrival. 

Do  not  be  tempted  by  a  large  discount  to  give  orders 
to  irresponsible  persons.  A  library  should  secure  from 
25  to  35  per  cent  discount.  Do  not  buy  ordinary  sub- 
scription books  or  books  on  the  installment  plan.  Do 
not  anticipate  revenues,  and  do  not  spend  all  your 


LibrAiy  No 
Order  No. 

z\ 

Ordered 

Of  s 

Received  - 

Cost  _        - 


Charged  to 

Apprnvett^J^^ 


>lot  now  ordered  q 
Not  in  libriiry 


Author's  surname,  followed  by  given  name*  or  initiali 

.^ovj^iiv^    C^^un.^ 

o  v/-cro-Ov   .\^\joJ\Ajaxx^^, 


WRITE  LKOIBLY 


Edition  PlaM 

•^ .....X\>i^ 

Year  No.  of  VoU.       Size 


S^^t/TPJL 

Total  Price  NOT  in  great  hasta 

V'b^^ >. :!1    ^..Z -HOS-n  haste 

I  recommend  the  above  for  the  library.        Notice  of  receipt  is  NOT  asked 


Signature, 


..  .^«Wy>w  .LoJ\3V 

CX/vudaJx^-orw. 


Fill  .-ibove  as  fully  as  possible.    Cross  out  NOT,  if  notice  is  wanted,  if  in  great  need  or  special  hast* 
Put  a  ?  bcfoie  items  of  which  you  are  not  sure.    Give  reasons  for  recommending  ON  THE  BAOZ 


Order  slip.    (Reduced;  actual  size,  7%  x  i2j^  cm.) 

money  at  once;  if  you  do  you  will  miss  many  a  bargain, 
and  have  to  go  without  books  that  are  needed  more 
than  those  you  have  bought.  Buy  good  but  not  ex- 
pensive editions.  Do  not  spend  on  a  single  costly 
work,  of  interest  to  few  and  seldom  used  by  that  few, 
a  sum  that  would  buy  20  or  perhaps  lOO  volumes  that 


66  LIBRARY   PRIMER 

would  be  in  constant  and  profitable  use  by  many.  Buy 
no  book  unless  by  personal  acquaintance,  or  upon 
competent  and  trustworthy  testimony,  it  is  worth  add- 
ing to  your  library.  Do  not  feel  that  you  must  buy 
complete  sets  of  an  author,  or  all  of  any  "series";  all 
the  works  of  very  few  authors  are  worth  having.  Do 
not  buy  cheap  editions  of  fiction;  the  paper,  press- 
work,  and  binding  is  poor,  and  is  simply  a  waste  of 
money.  The  best  is  none  too  good  in  buying  fiction, 
for  it  wears  out  fast,  and  has  to  be  rebound,  and  then 
replaced.  Do  not  buy  a  lot  of  second-hand  fiction  to 
put  into  the  hands  of  the  people.  You  cannot  expect 
them  to  keep  their  books  clean  if  you  start  them  out 
with  dirty  pages,  soiled  plates,  and  a  general  hand-me- 
down  air. 

Books  for  young  people  must  be  interesting.  No 
amount  of  excellence  in  other  directions  will  compen- 
sate for  dull  books. 

Do  not  trust  too  much  to  the  second-hand  dealer. 
Avoid  subscription  books.  Do  not  buy  of  a  book 
peddler;  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  you  can  find  better  and 
cheaper  books  at  the  stores.  A  well  selected  and  judi- 
ciously purchased  library,  with  such  works  of  reference 
as  are  needed,  will  cost,  on  an  average,  ^1.25  a  volume. 

The  following  notes  were  prepared  by  a  bookseller 
of  experience,  and  should  be  carefully  considered  before 
beginning  to  buy  books: 

Any  bookseller  worthy  your  patronage  will  be  able 
to  assist  you  by  pointing  out  the  most  desirable  edition 
for  general  library  use. 

There  is  every  reason  for  placing  your  orders  with 
your  local  dealer  so  long  as  he  can  care  for  them  intel- 
ligently.    A  large  discount  should  not  be  the  sole  fac- 


BUYING   BOOKS  67 

tor  in  deciding  where  to  buy,  but  keep  in  mind  this,  a 
conscientious  bookseller  can  save  you  money  by  care 
fully  watching  your  interests  in  the  very  many  details 
that  pertain  to  bookbuying.  Having  decided  on  your 
bookseller  agent,  place  all  your  orders  with  him.  It 
will  save  you  time,  which  is  equivalent  to  money. 
Keep  an  exact  duplicate  copy  of  every  order  you  place, 
and  for  this  purpose  a  manifold  book  is  preferable.  In 
writing  your  orders  never  write  on  both  sides  of  a  sheet; 
arrange  your  items  alphabetically  by  author,  and  make 
all  your  entries  as  complete  and  full  as  possible.  This 
is  particularly  important  in  the  case  of  books  in  the 
field  of  science,  history,  and  biography.  The  more 
clear  and  definite  your  orders  are  made  out,  the  more 
promptly  and  completely  can  your  bookseller  supply 
them. 

An  ideal  bookseller,  qualified  to  act  as  your  agent, 
is  one  who  has  familiarized  himself  with  the  various 
editions  of  books,  and  will  always  make  selections  with 
greater  stress  on  quality  than  quantity;  who  will  not 
send  you  the  second  edition  of  a  scientific  work  when 
a  third  is  out;  who  will  avoid  sending  you  expensive 
publications  (even  though  you  may  have  ordered  them) 
until  he  is  satisfied  that  you  want  them;  who  will  exert 
himself  to  get  desirable  books  that  may  be  out  of  print 
or  issued  by  an  out-of-the-way  publisher;  who  will  al- 
ways be  prepared  to  advise  you  as  to  the  latest  work 
on  any  particular  subject,  as  well  as  the  best  work. 

These  points  are  of  greater  importance  to  the  live 
librarian  than  is  the  percentage  of  discount.  Say  noth- 
ing about  per  cents;  to  do  so  is  misleading  and  unsatis- 
factory always.     No  one  understands  you. 

It  is  safe  to  estimate  that  your  purchases  of  fiction 


r 


LIBRARY    PRIMER 


and  juvenile  literature  will  average  inside  of  $i  per 
volume 

A  general  list,  including  reference  books,  of  say 
400OV.,  would  average  about  ^^1.25  per  volume,  or 
;^500o. 

Make  your  purchases  with  the  needs  of  your  com- 
munity clearly  in  mind,  securing  such  books  as  will  be 
constantly  in  use,  and  thereby  get  returns  for  your 
expenditure.  The  expensive  publications  and  books 
that  are  called  for  only  at  rare  intervals  should  be  left 
to  libraries  with  very  large  incomes,  and  to  those  mak- 
ing special  collections. 

Where  possible  to  do  so  avoid  buying  large  bills  of 
books  at  long  intervals.  It  is  better  to  spend  an  income 
of  $600  per  year  in  monthly  installments  of  $50,  than  it 
is  to  buy  twice  a  year  ^^300  lots. 

The  frequent  purchase  will  bring  you  the  new  and 
talked  of  books  while  they  are  fresh  in  the  minds  of 
people,  and  there  is  greater  economy  of  time  in  cata- 
loging and  shelving  them. 

Second-hand  books  are  rarely  cheap  at  any  price. 

Have  confidence  in  your  agent,  for  your  interests 
are  alwavs  his. 


INK    AND    HANDWRITING  69 


CHAPTER  XVII 
Ink  and  handwriting 

For  catalog  cards  and  all  other  records  use  a  non- 
copying  black,  permanent  ink.  Carter's  record  ink  is 
good.  It  has  been  adopted,  after  careful  investigation, 
by  the  state  of  Massachusetts  for  all  official  records. 
The  New  York  state  library  school,  at  Albany,  has 
issued  a  little  handbook  on  "library  handwriting," 
which  recommends  Carter's  record,  and  says  they  use 
Stafford's  blue  writing  ink  for  blue  and  his  carmine 
combined  for  red. 

For  all  labels  on  the  outside  of  books,  andjor  all 
writing  on  surfaces  which  may  be  much  handled,  use 
Higgins'  American  drawing  ink,  waterproof. 

The  vertical  hand  should  be  used  in  all  library  work. 
The  following  rules,  with  the  illustrations,  are  taken 
from  the  Albany  school  handbook  above  referred  to: 

Brief  rules 

X  Ink.  Use  only  standard  library  ink  and  let  it  dry 
without  blotting. 

2  Position.  Sit  squarely  at  the  desk  and  as  nearly 
erect  as  possible. 

3  Alphabets.  Follow  the  library  hand  forms  of  all 
letters,  avoiding  any  ornament,  flourish,  or  lines  not 
essential  to  the  letter. 

4  Size.  Small  letters,  taking  m  as  the  unit,  are  one 
space  or  two  millimeters  high;  i.  e.  one-third  the  dis- 
tance between  the  rulings  of  the  standard  catalog  card. 


70  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

Capitals  and  extended  letters  are  two  spaces  high 
above  the  base  line  or  run  one  space  below,  except  t, 
the  character  &,  and  figures,  which  are  one  and  one- 
half  spaces  high. 

5  Slant.  Make  letters  upright  with  as  little  slant  as 
possible,  and  uniformly  the  same,  preferring  a  trifle 
backward  rather  than  forward  slant. 

6  Spacing.  Separate  words  by  space  of  one  m  and 
sentences  by  two  m's.  Leave  uniform  space  between 
letters  of  a  word. 

7  Shading.  Make  a  uniform  black  line  with  no  shad- 
ing.    Avoid  hair  line  strokes. 

8  Uniformity.  Take  great  pains  to  have  all  writing 
uniform  in  size,  slant,  spacing,  blackness  of  lines  and 
forms  of  letters. 

9  ^Special  letters  and  figures.  In  both  joined  and  dis- 
joined hands  dot  i  and  cross  t  accurately  to  avoid  con- 
fusion; e.  g.  Giulio  carelessly  dotted  has  been  arranged 
under  Guilio  in  the  catalog.  Cross  t  one  space  from 
line.  Dot  i  and  j  one  and  one-half  spaces  from  line.  In 
foreign  languages  special  care  is  essential. 

Joined  hand.  Connect  all  the  letters  of  a  word  into 
a  single  word  picture.  Complete  each  letter;  e.  g.  do 
not  leave  gap  between  body  and  stem  of  b  and  d,  bring 
loop  of  f  back  to  stem,  etc. 

Avoid  slanting  r  and  s  differently  from  other  letters. 
They  should  be  a  trifle  over  one  space  in  height.  The 
small  p  is  made  as  in  print,  and  is  not  extended  above 
the  line  as  in  ordinary  script. 

Disjoined  hand.  Avoid  all  unnecessary  curves.  The 
principal  down  strokes. in  b,  d,  f,  h,  i,  j,  k,  1,  m,  n,  p,  q, 
r,  t,  u,  and  the  first  line  in  e,  should  be  straight. 


INK  AND  HANDWRITING  ?T 

SPECIMEN    ALPHABETS   AND   FIGURES 
Joined   Hand 

mnopaRSTuvvw 
uj  X  V  M  z 

aCrcdl  ,L  f  f  g  ^c^K  ^c^k^ 
^YTtrLO   p  c^   rvSbtvjLVTvxrX.   b|l^ 

2. 

i234-561&90     & 

TolAs.    yuuiJt   ^jaxajurub   to    Pv/Xa>J^ 

Disjoined  Hand 

ABCDEr  GHIJKLMN 
0PQR5TUVWXYZ 

abcdefohij    kl    m    nop 
c^rstuvNA/xyz 

1234567890         & 
Take    great    pains   to    have    all 
writinq    uniform    in    size,    slant, 
spacing    k   forms    of   letters. 


72  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

Make  all  the  small  letters,  except  f,  i,  j,  k,  t,  x  and 
y,  without  lifting  pen  from  paper. 

Make  g  and  Q  in  one  stroke,  moving  from  left  to 
right  like  the  hands  of  a  watch.     Begin  on  the  line. 

Take  special  pains  with  the  letter  r,  as  carelessly- 
made  it  is  easily  mistaken  for  v  or  y. 

Make  the  upper  part  of  B,  R,  and  S  a  trifle  smaller 
than  the  lower  part. 

Figures.  Make  all  figures  without  lifting  the  pen. 
Begin  4  with  the  horizontal  line.  Make  the  upper  part 
of  3  and  8  smaller  than  the  lower  part;  8  is  best  made 
by  beginning  in  the  center. 


THE    CARE    OF    BOOKS 


71 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


The  care  of  books 


Books  of  moderate  size  should  stand  up  on  the 
shelves.  Large  books  keep  better  if  they  are  laid  on 
their  sides;  when  they  stand,  the  weight  of  the  leaves 
is  a  pull  on  the  binding  which  tends  to  draw  the  books 
out  of  shape,  and  sometimes  breaks  them.  Books 
which  stand  up  should  never  be  permitted  to  lean  over, 
but  should  be  kept  always  perfectly  erect;  the  leaning 
wrenches  them  out  of  shape,  and  soon  breaks  the  bind- 
ing. A  row  of  books  which  does  not  comfortably  fill  a 
shelf  should  be  kept  up  at  one  end  by  a  book  support. 


L.  B.  book  supports.    (Reduced.) 

There  are  several  good  supports  on  the  market.  The 
Crocker  is  excellent;  so  is  the  one  described  in  the 
Library  Bureau  catalog. 

Books  as  they  come  from  the  dealer  are  not  always 
perfect.     To    make   sure  that  their  purchases  are  in 


74  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

good  condition  some  libraries  collate  all  their  books 
as  soon  as  received,  that  is,  look  them  through  with 
care  for  missing  pages,  and  injuries  of  any  kind.  Im- 
perfect volumes  are  returned.  But  save  with  very  ex- 
pensive books  this  labor  is  unnecessary,  and  doesn't 
pay.  The  time  spent  on  it  easily  amounts  to  more 
than  the  cost  of  replacing  the  very  few  books  which 
may  by  chance  be  later  found  imperfect.  In  fact,  any 
responsible  dealer  will  usually  replace  an  imperfect 
copy  with  a  good  one  even  if  the  former  bears  a  library 
mark,  and  has  been  handled  a  little. 

Use  care  in  cutting  pages.  Don't  cut  them  with 
anything  but  a  smooth,  dull  edge.  Cut  them  at  the 
top  close  to  the  fold  in  the  back. 

The  worst  enemies  of  books  are  careless  people. 

Another  enemy  is  damp.  It  is  bad  for  the  binding; 
it  is  very  bad  for  the  paper. 

Gas,  with  heat,  is  very  destructive  to  books,  espe- 
cially to  the  bindings. 

Books  should  occasionally  be  taken  from  their 
shelves  and  wiped  with  a  soft  cloth.  The  shelves 
should  at  the  same  time  be  taken  down  and  cleaned 
thoroughly. 

Don't  hold  a  book  by  one  of  its  covers. 

Don't  pile  up  books  very  high. 

Don't  rub  dust  into  them  instead  of  rubbing  it  off. 

Don't  wedge  books  tightly  into  the  shelves. 

Those  who  use  a  public  library  are  all  desirous  that 
its  books  be  clean  and  neat,  and  with  a  little  encourage- 
ment will  take  pretty  good  care  of  them.  There  are 
exceptions,  of  course,  and  especially  among  the  chil- 
dren.    These  must  be  looked  after  and  reasoned  with. 


THE    CARE    OF    BOOKS  75 

Don't  cover  your  books.  The  brown  paper  cover 
is  an  insult  to  a  good  book,  a  reproach  to  every  reader 
of  it,  an  incentive  to  careless  handling,  and  an  expense 
without  good  return. 

A  few  simple  rules  like  the  following  can  be  brought 
in  an  unobtrusive  way  to  the  attention  of  those  who 
use  the  library.  Always  be  sure  that  the  library  sets 
a  good  example  in  its  handling  of  books. 

Keep  books  dry. 

Do  not  handle  them  when  the  hands  are  moist;  of 
course  never  when  the  hands  are  soiled. 

Use  them  to  read,  and  for  nothing  else. 

Never  mark  in  them. 

Do  not  turn  down  their  pages. 

Do  not  lay  them  face  downwards. 

Do  not  strap  them  up  tightly. 

Never  let  them  fall. 

Open  them  gently. 

The  book  you  are  reading  will  go  to  others.  Pass 
it  on  to  them  neat  and  clean,  hoping  that  they  will  do 
the  same  by  you. 


76 


LIBRARY    PRIMER 


CHAPTER  XIX 
Accessioning  books 

A  careful  record  should  be  made  of  all  books  re- 
ceived. Use  for  this  purpose  what  is  called  an  acces- 
sion book.     This  is  a  blank  book,  ruled  and  lettered 


29S'93 


Ei 


7581 

?5ei-9>  82 

3cr.iy9l.83 

84 
85 


CLASS  BOOK 


4  £6 


356 
F5A 


Accession  book,  left-hand  page.    (Reduced  size.) 


i 

PI.ACB  AND  PUBLISHER 

DATE 

BIHDINO 

souncK 

COST 

REHAKKS 

'1 

a. 

:  ] 

£ 

id 

Accession  book,  right-hand  page.    (Reduced  size.) 

and  numbered  especially  for  library  invoices.  (See  the 
Library  Bureau  catalog. )  It  is  the  library's  chief  record, 
and  should  contain  a  complete  history  of  every  volume 
on  its  shelves.     The   items  entered   in   the    accession 


ACCESSIONING  BOOKS  *J^ 

book  concerning  every  volume  in  the  library  are  com- 
monly the  following:  date  of  entry;  accession  number; 
class  number  (religion,  sociology,  etc.);  author;  title; 
place  of  publication  and  name  of  publisher;  date  of 
publication;  binding  (cloth,  leather,  etc.);  size  (octavo, 
quarto,  etc.);  number  of  pages;  name  of  dealer  from 
whom  purchased;  cost;  remarks  (maps,  plates,  etc.; 
books  rebound;  magazines,  etc.;  lost,  worn  out,  re- 
placed by  another  book,  etc.). 

Each  book  and  each  volume  of  a  set  has  a  separate 
accession  number  and  a  separate  entry.  Each  entry 
occupies  a  line;  each  line  is  numbered  from  one  up  to 
such  a  number  as  the  library  has  volumes.  The  number 
of  each  line,  called  the  accession  number,  is  written  on 
the  first  page  after  the  title-page  of  the  book  described 
on  that  line.  The  accession  book  is  a  life  history  of 
every  book  in  the  library.  It  forms  such  a  record  as 
any  business-like  person  would  wish  to  have  of  prop- 
erty entrusted  to  his  care.  It  is  also  a  catalog  of  all 
books  in  the  library,  and  a  useful  catalog  as  long  as  the 
library  is  small.  Never  use  an  old  accession  number 
for  a  new  book,  even  though  the  original  book  has 
disappeared  from  the  library. 

Record  should  be  made  of  all  books,  pamphlets,  re- 
ports, bulletins,  magazines,  etc.,  received  by  the  library 
as  gifts;  and  every  gift  should  be  promptly  and  cour- 
teously acknowledged  in  writing,  even  if  previously 
acknowledged  in  person.  Keep  this  record  in  a  blank 
book,  alphabetizing  all  gifts  by  the  names  of  the  givers, 
with  dates  of  receipt.  Books  given  should  appear  on 
the  accession  register  the  same  as  books  purchased. 


yS  LIBRARY   PRIMER 


CHAPTER  XX 
Classifying  books 

The  smallest  public  library  should  be  classified  and 
cataloged.  This  will  make  its  resources  more  easily- 
available,  and  will  prevent  the  confusion  and  waste  of 
labor  which  are  sure  to  come  if  systematic  treatment 
of  the  books  is  deferred.  Get  the  best  advice  obtain- 
able; consider  the  library's  field  and  its  possibilities  of 
growth,  and  let  the  first  work  on  the  books  be  such 
as  will  never  need  to  be  done  over. 

To  classify  books  is  to  place  them  in  groups,  each 
group  including,  as  nearly  as  may  be,  all  the  books 
treating  of  a  given  subject,  for  instance,  geology;  or  all 
the  books,  on  whatever  subject,  cast  in  a  particular 
form — for  instance,  poetry;  or  all  the  books  having  to 
do  with  a  particular  period  of  time — for  instance,  the 
middle  ages.  Few  books  are  devoted  exclusively  to 
one  subject  and  belong  absolutely  in  any  one  class. 
The  classification  of  books  must  be  a  continual  com- 
promise. Its  purpose  is  not  accurately  to  classify  all 
printed  things,  this  can't  be  done;  but  simply  to  make 
certain  sources  of  information — books — more  available. 
Any  classification,  if  it  gets  the  books  on  a  given  sub- 
ject side  by  side,  and  those  on  allied  subjects  near  one 
another,  is  a  good  one. 

Books  may  be  classified  into  groups  in  a  catalog  or 
list,  yet  themselves  stand  without  order  on  the  shelves. 
For  convenience  in  getting  for  anyone  all  the  books 


CLASSIFYING   BOOKS  79 

on  a  given  subject,  and  especially  for  the  help  of  those 
who  are  permitted  to  visit  the  shelves,  all  books  should 
stand  in  their  appropriate  classes.  Each  book,  there- 
fore, should  bear  a  mark  which  will  tell  in  what  class 
it  belongs;  distinguish  it  from  all  other  books  in  that 
class;  show  where  it  stands  on  the  shelves  among  its 
fellows  of  the  same  class;  and  indicate  which  one  it 
is  of  several  possible  copies  of  the  same  book.  This 
mark  can  be  used  to  designate  the  book  in  all  records 
of  it,  instead  of  the  larger  entry  of  its  author  and  title. 

There  are  two  classification  systems  worthy  of  con- 
sideration, the  Dewey,  or  decimal,  and  the  Cutter,  or 
expansive.  They  are  outlined  in  the  following  chap- 
ters.    Don't  try  to  devise  a  system  of  your  own. 

Having  decided  on  your  system  of  classification, 
begin  to  classify.  This  is  one  of  the  many  things 
which  can  only  be  learned  by  doing.  Give  fiction  no 
class  number,  but  an  author  number  or  "book-mark" 
only,  as  explained  in  a  later  chapter.  Give  all  biogra- 
phy a  single  letter  as  its  class  number,  and  follow  this 
by  the  author  number. 

Distinguish  all  juvenile  books,  whether  fiction  or 
other,  by  writing  before  their  numbers  sonie  distin- 
guishing symbol. 

Take  up  first,  in  classification  proper,  the  subjects 
of  history  and  travel,  which  will  be  found  comparatively 
easy. 

It  is  easier  to  classify  25  or  50  books  at  a  time  in 
any  given  class  than  it  is  to  classify  them  singly  as  you 
come  to  them  in  the  midst  of  books  of  other  classes. 
Consequently,  group  your  books  roughly  into  classes 
before  you  begin  work  on  them. 

As  soon  as  a  book  is  classified  enter  it  at  once  in 


80  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

your  shelf-list — explained  in  a  later  chapter — and  see 
that  an  author-card  for  it  is  put  in  the  author  catalog — 
explained  later — with  its  proper  number  thereon. 

If,  after  you  have  made  up  your  mind,  from  an  ex- 
amination of  the  title-page,  or  table  of  contents,  or  a 
few  pages  here  and  there,  what  subject  a  book  treats 
of  in  the  main,  you  are  still  in  doubt  in  what  class  to 
place  it,  consider  what  kind  of  readers  will  be  likely 
to  ask  for  it,  and  in  what  class  they  will  be  likely  to 
look  for  it,  and  put  it  into  that  class.  In  doubtful 
cases  the  catalogs  of  other  libraries  are  often  good 
guides. 

Keep  your  classification  as  consistent  as  possible. 
Before  putting  a  book,  about  which  there  is  any  oppor- 
tunity for  choice,  in  the  class  you  have  selected  for  it, 
examine  your  shelf-list  and  see  that  the  books  already 
there  are  of  like  nature  with  it. 

Classify  as  well  as  you  can,  and  don't  worry  if  you 
find  you  have  made  errors.  There  are  always  errors. 
Don't  get  into  the  habit  of  changing.  Be  consistent  in 
classifying,  and  stick  by  what  you  have  done. 


THE    DEWEY    SYSTEM    OF    CLASSIFICATION  8l 


CHAPTER  XXI 

The  Dewey  or  Decimal  system  of  classification 

[From  the  Introduction  to  the  Decimal  classification  and  Relative  index.    Pub- 
lished by  the  Library  Bureau.  I5.] 

The  field  of  knowledge  is  divided  into  nine  main 
classes,  and  these  are  numbered  by  the  digits  i  to  9. 
Cyclopedias,  periodicals,  etc.,  so  general  in  character 
as  to  belong  to  no  one  of  these  classes,  are  marked 
nought,  and  form  a  tenth  class.  Each  class  is  similarly 
separated  into  nine  divisions,  general  works  belonging 
to  no  division  having  nought  in  place  of  the  division 
number.  Divisions  are  similarly  divided  into  nine  sec- 
tions, and  the  process  is  repeated  as  often  as  necessary. 
Thus  512  means  Class  5  (Natural  science),  Division  i 
(Mathematics),  Section  2  (Algebra),  and  every  algebra 
is  numbered  512. 

The  books  on  the  shelves  and  the  cards  in  the  sub- 
ject catalog  are  arranged  in  simple  numerical  order,  all 
class  numbers  being  decimals.  Since  each  subject  has 
a  definite  number,  it  follows  that  all  books  on  any  sub- 
ject must  stand  together.  The  tables  show  the  order 
in  which  subjects  follow  one  another.  Thus  512  Alge- 
bra precedes  5 1 3  Geometry,  and  follows  5 1 1  Arithmetic. 

In  the  book  after  the  tables  of  the  classes  arranged 
in  their  numerical  order  is  an  index,  in  which  all  the 
heads  of  the  tables  are  arranged  in  one  simple  alpha- 
bet, with  the  class  number  of  each  referring  to  its  ex- 
act place  in  the  preceding  tables.  This  index  includes 
also,  as  far  as  they  have  been  found,  all  the  synonyms 


82  LIBRARY    PRIME;R 

or  alternative  names  for  the  heads,  and  many  other 
entries  that  seem  likely  to  help  a  reader  find  readily 
the  subject  sought.  Though  the  user  knows  just  where 
to  turn  to  his  subject  in  the  tables,  by  first  consulting 
the  index  he  may  be  sent  to  other  allied  subjects,  where 
he  will  find  valuable  matter  which  he  would  otherwise 
overlook. 

The  claims  of  the  system  may  be  summed  up  as 
follows:  compared  with  other  systems  it  is  less  expen- 
sive; more  easily  understood,  remembered,  and  used; 
practical  rather  than  theoretical;  brief  and  familiar  in 
its  nomenclature;  best  for  arranging  pamphlets,  sale 
duplicates,  and  notes,  and  for  indexing;  susceptible  of 
partial  and  gradual  adoption  without  confusion;  more 
convenient  in  keeping  statistics  and  checks  for  books 
off  the  shelves;  the  most  satisfactory  adaptation  of  the 
card  catalog  principle  to  the  shelves.  It  requires  less 
space  to  shelve  the  books;  uses  simpler  symbols  and 
fewer  of  them;  can  be  expanded,  without  limit  and 
without  confusion  or  waste  of  labor,  in  both  catalogs 
and  on  shelves,  or  in  catalogs  alone;  checks  more  thor- 
oughly and  conveniently  against  mistakes;  admits  more 
readily  numerous  cross  references;  is  unchangeable  in 
its  call-numbers,  and  so  gives  them  in  all  places  where 
needed,  as  given  in  no  other  system;  in  its  index  affords 
an  answer  to  the  greatest  objection  to  class  catalogs, 
and  is  the  first  satisfactory  union  of  the  advantages  of 
the  class  and  dictionary  systems. 

The  Decimal  system  is  used  by  a  large  number  of 
libraries  in  this  country,  and  has  gained  recognition  and 
has  been  put  to  use  by  some  librarians  and  men  of  sci- 
ence in  Europe. 


THE    DEWEY   SYSTEM    OF    CLASSIFICATION 


83 


Divisions 


000  General  Works 

Bibliography. 
Library  Economy. 


010 
020 
030 
04c 
050 
060 
070 


General  Cyclopedias. 
General  Collections. 
General  Periodicals. 
General  Societies. 


Newspapers. 
Special  Libraries. 


090      Book  Rarities. 
100  Philosophy 

no     Metaphysics. 


Polygraphy. 


Special  Metaphysical  Topics. 
Mind  and  Body. 
Philosophical  Systems. 
Mental  Faculties. 


Psychology. 
Logic. 
Ethics. 

Ancient  Philosophers. 
Modern  Philosophers. 


120 

130 
140 
150 
160 
170 
180 
190 

200  Religion 

210  Natural  Theology. 

220  Bible. 

230  Doctrinal  Theol.    Dogmatics. 

240  Devotional  and  Practical. 

2S0  Homiletic.  Pastoral.  Parochial. 

260  Church.    Institutions.    Work. 

270  Religious  History. 

280  Christian  Churches  and  Sects. 

290  Non-Christian  Religions. 


300  Sociology 


Statistics. 

Political  Science. 

Political  Economy. 

Law. 

Administration. 

Associations  and  Institutions. 

Education. 

Commerce  and  Communicativ»n 

Customs.  Costumes.  Folk-lore. 


310 
320 
330 
340 

IS 
IS 

390 
400  Philology 

410  Comparative. 

420  English. 

430  German. 

440  French. 

450  Italiaa 

460  Spanish. 

470  Latin. 

480  Greek. 

490  Minor  Languages. 


'^ 


500  Natural  Science 

510      Mathematics. 
520      Astronomy. 
530      Physics. 
540      Chemistry. 

Geology. 

Paleontology. 
570      Biology. 
580      Botany. 
590      Zoology. 

600  Useful  Arts 

610  Medicine. 

620  -Engmeering. 

630  Agriculture. 

640  Domestic  Economy. 

650  Communication  and  Commerce 

660  Chemical  Technology. 

670  Manufactures. 

680  Mechanic  Trades. 

690  Building. 

700  Fine  Arts 

710  Landscape  Gardening, 

720  Architecture. 

730  Sculpture. 

740  Drawing,  Design,  Decoration. 

750  Painting. 

760  Engraving. 

770  Photography. 

780  Music. 

790  Amusements. 

800  Literature 


810 
820 
830 
840 
850 
860 
870 
880 
890 

900 

910 
920 

930 
940 
950 
960 
970 
980 
990 


American. 

English. 

German. 

French. 

Italian. 

Spanish. 

Latin. 

Greek. 

Minor  Languages. 

History 

Geography  and  Description. 


Ancient  History. 
'Europe. 

Asia. 

Africa. 

North  America. 

South  America. 
^Oceanica  and  Polar  Regions. 


84  LIBRARY   PRIMER 


CHAPTER    XXII 
The  Expansive  classification:    C.  A.  Cutter's 

The  classification 

Those  who  have  used  it  call  it  common-sense  and 
up-to-date.  They  say  that  it  is  clear  and  easy  to  apply, 
and  that  it  gives  a  suitable  place  for  many  classes  of 
books  for  which  other  systems  make  no  provision,  or 
provide  badly.  It  has  been  maturing  for  20  years. 
Before  it  was  printed  it  was  applied  (with  a  different 
notation)  to  the  arrangement  of  a  library  of  over 
150,000  V.  The  experience  thus  gained  has  been  sup- 
plemented as  each  part  was  prepared  for  the  press  by 
searching  catalogs,  bibliographies,  and  treatises  on  the 
subject  classified.  This  ensured  fullness.  Overclassifi- 
cation,  on  the  other  hand,  has  been  guarded  against  in 
four  ways:  i)  By  not  introducing  at  all  distinctions 
that  are  purely  theoretical  or  very  difficult  to  apply; 
2)  by  printing  in  small  type  those  divisions  which  are 
worth  making  only  when  a  large  number  of  books  calls 
for  much  subdivision;  3)  by  warning  classifiers  in  the 
notes  that  certain  divisions  are  needed  only  in  large 
libraries;  4)  by  printing  separately  seven  classifications 
of  progressive  fullness,  the  first  having  only  1 1  classes, 
which  would  be  enough  for  a  very  small  library;  the 
second  having  15  classes  and  16  geographical  divisions, 
suiting  the  small  library  when  it  has  grown  a  little 
larger;  the  third  having  30  classes  and  29  geographical 
divisions;  and  so  on,  till  the  seventh  would  suffice  for 
the  very  largest  library.     The  same  notation  is  used 


EXPANSIVE    CLASSIFICATION  8$ 

throughout,  so  that  a  library  can  adopt  the  fuller  classi- 
fication with  the  least  possible  change  of  mark. 

It  often  suggests  alternative  places  for  a  subject, 
stating  the  reasons  for  and  against  each,  so  that  classi- 
fiers have  a  liberty  of  choice  according  to  the  charac- 
ter of  their  libraries,  or  of  their  clientage,  or  their  own 
preferences. 

The  notation  v 

The  original  feature  of  this  notation  is  the  use  of 
letters  to  mark  non-local  subjects  and  figures  for  places. 
This  makes  it  possible  to  express  the  local  relations  of 
a  subject  in  a  perfectly  unmistakable  way,  the  letters 
never  being  used  to  signify  countries,  and  the  figures 
never  being  used  for  any  other  subjects  but  countries. 
Thus  45  is  England  wherever  it  occurs;  e.  g.  F  being 
history  and  G  geography,  F45  is  the  history  of  Eng- 
land, G45  the  geography  of  England.  This  local  nota- 
tion can  be  used  not  merely  with  the  main  classes,  but 
in  every  subdivision,  no  matter  how  minute,  which  is 
worth  dividing  by  countries.  Whenever  one  wishes  to 
separate  what  relates  to  England  from  other  works 
on  any  subject  one  has  only  to  add  the  two  figures  45. 
Whenever  one  sees  45  in  the  mark  of  a  book  one  knows 
that  the  book  so  marked  treats  its  subject  with  special 
reference  to  England.  This  "local  list"  by  the  figures 
from  II  to  99  gives  marks  to  the  88  most  important 
countries.  The  addition  of  a  third  and  sometimes  of  a 
fourth  figure  gives  marks  for  all  the  independent  coun- 
tries in  the  world.  Parts  of  and  places  in  countries  are 
arranged  alphabetically  under  each,  and  are  marked 
either  by  the  usual  Cutter  order-table,  which  has  initial 
letters  followed  by  figures,  or  by  a  special  Cutter  order- 
table  composed  of  figures  alone. 


86  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

Non-local  subjects  are  marked  with  letters,  first,  to 
distinguish  them  from  local  subjects;  and,  second,  be- 
cause of  the  greater  capacity.  There  are  26  main  classes, 
A  to  Z.  By  adding  a  second  letter  these  are  divided 
into  676  parts,  and  these,  by  adding  a  third  letter,  into 
17,576  parts,  making  18,278  in  all,  so  that  as  one  uses 
successively  three,  four,  or  five  characters,  one  gets 
respet:tively  18  times,  46  times,  and  118  times  the 
capacity  of  a  decimal  notation.  The  result  is,  short 
marks,  numerous  subdivisions,  much  greater  elasticity, 
much  greater  power  to  properly  express  the  relations 
of  subjects  to  one  another,  and  their  relations  to  sub- 
ordinate subjects,  and  much  more  opportunity  of  mak- 
ing the  different  portions  of  the  classification  correspond 
to  each  other. 

The  first  part  of  the  classification,  as  published,  con- 
tains the  first  six  classifications  and  a  combined  index 
to  them  all.  The  seventh,  the  fullest  classification,  will 
have  10  sections.  Five  of  them  are  published,  each 
with  its  own  index.  Of  two  (Social  sciences  and  Lan- 
guage and  literature)  about  half  is  published.  When 
these  and  the  other  three  (Natural  sciences,  Industrial 
arts.  Recreative  and  fine  arts)  are  printed,  a  full  index 
to  the  whole  willbe  made. 

Expansive    classification.     Outline 

A  Generalia. 

A  General  works. 

Ae  General  encyclopedias 

Ap  General  periodicals. 

Ar  Reference  works. 

As  General  societies. 


EXPANSIVE    CLASSIFICATION  Sy 

B-D  Spiritual  sciences. 

B  Philosophy. 

Ba-Bf  National  Philosophies  and  Systems  of  philosophy. 

Bg  Metaphysics. 

Bh  Logic. 

Bi  Psychology.                                         * 

Bm  Moral  Philosophy. 

Br  Religion,  Natural  theology. 

Bt  Religions 

Bu  Folk-lore. 

Ca  Judaism. 

Cb  Bible. 

Cc  Christianity. 

Cce  Patristics. 

Ce  Apologetics,  Evidences. 

Cf  Doctrinal  theology. 

Ck  Ethical  theology. 

Cp  Ritual  theology  and  church  Polity. 

Cx  Pastoral  theology. 

Cx  Sermons. 

D  Ecclesiastical  history. 

Dk  Particular  churches  and  sects. 

E-G  Historical  sciences. 

E  Biography  and  Portraits. 

F-Fz  History. 

F  Universal  history. 

Fo2  Ancient  history. 

F03  Modern  history. 

F04  Medieval  history. 

F11-F99  History  of  single  countries  (using^  local  list). 

Fa-Fw  Allied  studies,  as  Chronology,  Philosophy  of  history. 
History  of  Civilization,  Antiquities,  Numis- 
matics, Chivalry,  Heraldry. 

G  Geography,  Travels. 

G11-G99  Single  countries  (using  locallist). 

Ga  Ancient  geography. 

Of  Surveying  and  Map-making. 

Gz  Maps. 


88  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

H  Social  sciences. 

Hb  Statistics. 

He  Economics. 

He  Production. 

Hf  Labor. 

Hi  Slavery. 

Hj  Transportation. 

Hk  Commerce. 

Hm  Money. 

Hn  Banking. 

Hr  Private  finance. 

Ht  Taxation  and  Public  finance. 

Hu  Tariff. 

Hw  Property,  Capital. 

Hz  Consumption. 

I  Demotics,  Sociology. 

Ic  Crime. 

Ig  Charity. 

Ih  Providence. 

Ik  Education. 

J  Civics,  Government,  Political  science. 

Ju  Constitutions  and  Politics. 

K  Law  and  Legislation. 

Kd  Public  documents. 

L-Q  Natural  sciences. 

L  General  works,  Metrics. 

L  Number  and  space. 

Lb  Mathematics. 

Lh-Lr  Matter  and  force, 

Lh  Physics. 

Lo  Chemistry. 

Lr  Astronomy. 

M-Q     Matter  and  life 

M  Natural  history. 


EXPA1<SIVE    CLASSIFICATION  89 

Mg:  Geology,  incl.  Mineralogy,  Crystallography, 
Physical  geography.  Meteorology,  Pa- 
leontology. 

My        Biology. 

N  Botany. 

Cryptogams. 
Phanerogams. 
O  Zoology. 

Invertebrates. 
P  Vertebrates. 

Pg  Mammals. 

Pw  Anthropology,  Ethnology,  Ethnography. 

Q  Medicine. 

Q-Z  Arts. 

R  General  works.  Exhibitions,  Patents. 

Rd-Rg  Extractive  arts. 

Rd  Mining. 

Re  Metallurgy. 

Rf  Agriculture. 

Rh  Horticulture. 

Ri  Silvicultui-e. 

Rj  Animaliculture. 

Rq  Chemic  arts. 

Rt  Electric  arts. 

Ry  Domestic  arts. 

Rz  Food  and  Cookery. 

S  Constructive  arts,  Engineering. 

Sg  Building.  , 

Sj  Sanitary  engineering. 

SI  Hydraulic  engineering. 

St  Transportation  and  Communication. 

T  Fabricative  arts,  Machinery,  Manufactures, 

and  Handicrafts. 
U  Protective   arts,   i.  e..  Military  and   Naval 

arts,  Life-preserving,  Fire  fighting. 


go  LIBRARY    PRIMtR 


V 

Athletic  and   Recreative   arts,  Sports   and 

Games. 

Vs 

Gymnastics. 

vt 

Theater. 

Vv 

Music. 

W 

Fine  arts,  plastic  and  graphic. 

We 

Landscape  gardening. 

Wf 

Architecture. 

Wj 

Sculpture. 

Wk 

Casting,  Baking,  Firing. 

Wm 

Drawing. 

Wp 

Painting. 

Wq 

Engraving. 

Wr 

Photography. 

Ws 

Decorative  arts,  including  Costume. 

X-Yf 

Communicative  arts  (by  language). 

X 

Philology. 

X 

Inscriptions. 

X 

Language. 

Y 

Literature. 

Yf 

English  Fiction. 

z 

Book  arts  (making  and  use  of  books). 

Za-Zk 

Production. 

Za 

Authorship. 

Zb 

Rhetoric. 

Zd 

Writing. 

Zh 

Printing. 

Zk 

Binding. 

ZI 

Distribution  (Publishing  and  Bookselling). 

Zp 

Storage  and  Use  (Libraries). 

zt 

Description  (Zt  Bibliography;  Zx  Selection  of  read- 

« 

ing;   Zy   Literary  history;    Zz.  National  bibli- 

ography.) 

AUTHOR    NUMBERS     OR    BOOK-MARKS  QI 


CHAPTER  XXIII 
Author-numbers,  or  book-marks 

The  books  in  a  given  group  or  class  should  stand 
on  the  shelves  in  the  alphabetical  order  of  their  au- 
thors' names,  though  this  is  not  necessary  in  a  small 
library.  This  result  is  best  secured  by  adding  to  the 
class-mark  of  every  book  another  mark,  called  an  au- 
thor-number or  book-number  or  book-mark,  made  up 
of  the  first  letter  of  the  author's  name  and  certain  fig- 
ures. Books  bearing  these  author-numbers,  if  arranged 
first  alphabetically  by  the  letters,  and  then  in  the  nu- 
merical order  of  the  numbers  following  the  letters,  will 
always  stand  in  the  alphabetical  order  of  the  authors' 
names.  Different  books  by  the  same  author  are  dis- 
tinguished from  one  another  by  adding  other  figures 
to  the  author-number,  or  by  adding  to  the  author- 
numbers  the  first  letter  of  the  title  of  each  book. 

These  book-marks  cannot  be  chosen  arbitrarily. 
They  should  be  taken  from  the  printed  set  of  theYn 
worked  out  by  Mr  Cutter,  and  called  the  Cutter  author- 
tables.     (See  Library  Bureau  catalog.) 

In  a  very  small  library  the  books  in  a  given  class 
can  be  distinguished  one  from  another  by  writing  after 
the  class-number  of  each  book  the  number  of  that  book 
in  its  class.  If  the  class-mark  of  religion,  for  example, 
is  20,  the  books  successively  placed  in  that  class  will 
bear  the  numbers  20.1,  20.2,  20.3,  etc. 

Fiction  should  have  author-numbers  only.  The  ab- 
sence of  a  class-number  will  sufficiently  distinguish  it 
from  other  classes. 


92 


LIBRARY    PRIMER 


CHAPTER  XXIV 
The  shelf-list 

Many  books  can  be  very  properly  put  in  anyone 
of  several  different  classes.  In  which  one  a  given 
book  should  be  placed  will  often  be  decided  by  noting 
where  other  like  books  have  been  placed.  Books  by 
authors  of  the  same  name  will  often  fall  into  the  same 
class,  and  to  each  of  these  a  different  author-number 


n.-    ^?.f,           1 

»-»... 

A,«-W».«. 

V.J. 

...»« 

O 

(.Gt,^ 

?^^^<^c^ 

N\\\ 

^i-VO 

7, 

"hZ.^ 

>N-\Z. 

-v^^^c^T^ 

o 

Shelf  list  sheet.    (Reduced;  actual  size,  10x25  cm.) 

must  be  given.  You  must  have  at  hand,  then,  a  list  of 
the  books  already  classified,  to  see  at  once,  in  classify- 
ing the  next  book,  what  kinds  of  books  and  books  by 
what  authors  are  in  each  class.  Every  book  in  the 
library,  as  soon  as  it  has  been  classified,  and  has  received 
its  proper  author-number,  should  be  entered  in  a  list 
in  the  order  first  of  its  class-number,  next  of  its  author- 
number.  This  list  is  called  the  shelf-list.  It  is  com- 
monly kept  on  sheets,  but  many  librarians  believe  it 
best  kept  on  cards;  a  card  for  each  different  book.  It 
is  a  catalog  of  all  the  books  in  the  library  arranged  in 


THE    SHELF-LIST. 


93 


the  order  in  which  they  stand  on  the  shelves.  It  is  a 
subject-index  of  the  library.  It  is  indispensable  in  the 
work  of  properly  placing,  class-numbering,  and  author- 
numbering  new  books.  It  is  a  list  from  which  it  is  very 
easy  to  check  over  the  library  and  learn  what  books 
are  missing  or  out  of  place.  It  includes  usually  only 
the  class-  and  author-number,  author's  name,  brief  title, 
and  accession  number.  This  last  enables  one  to  refer 
at  once  from  the  brief  entry  of  a  certain  book  in  the 
shelf-list  to  the  full  information  in  the  accession  book. 


n=\CN 

^'^ 

-\-klTV 

^\\ 

^  n-T-TR        c  rrR  ^  1  r-^x/^^ri. 

■^^^,f\ 

Shelf-list  card.    (Reduced;  actual  size,  5x  i2j^  cm.) 

There  are  advantages  in  adding  to  the  shelf-list  record 
the  publisher  and  price.  As  soon  as  a  book  has  re- 
ceived its  class-  and  author-numbers,  which  together 
are  sometimes  called  the  "call-number,"  as  being  the 
mark  to  be  used  by  the  public  in  calling  for  a  book, 
these  numbers,  or  combinations  of  numbers  and  letters, 
should  be  written  in  the  accession  book  in  a  column 
left  for  the  purpose,  on  the  line  given  up  to  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  book  in  hand.  This  enables  one  to  refer  at 
once  from  the  accession  entry  of  a  given  book  to  the 
shelf-list  entry  of  the  same  book. 


94  LIBRARY    PRIMER 


CHAPTER  XXV 
Cataloging  books 

After  the  books  are  accessioned,  classified,  author- 
numbered  or  book-marked,  and  shelf-listed,  they  should 
be  cataloged,  A  catalog  is  a  labor-saving  device  in 
library  work.  From  it  both  reader  and  attendant  can 
ascertain  whether  the  library  has  a  certain  book.  By 
consulting  the  catalog  for  the  class-number,  the  book 
may  be  looked  for  in  its  proper  place,  thus  often  sav- 
ing hunting  through  the  shelves  in  several  classes. 

A  printed  list  or  catalog  of  the  library  is  one  of  the 
first  things  that  will  be  asked  for  by  the  public.  It  is 
useful  especially  for  those  who  cannot  well  visit  the 
library.  But  it  is  very  expensive;  it  is  out  of  date  as 
soon  as  issued;  it  cannot  often  be  sold;  it  requires 
training  and  experience  to  make  it  properly,  and  the 
money  it  will  cost  can  be  better  spent  otherwise.  Do 
not  issue  one.  Print  lists  of  additions  in  newspapers. 
Post  them  in  the  library.  Issue  an  occasional  bulletin 
of  the  latest  purchases  if  you  think  it  will  be  popular. 
Put  your  time,  skill,  energy,  and  money  into  the  mak- 
ing of  a  full  card  catalog;  keep  this  up  to  date;  give 
the  public  access  to  it;  teach  them  how  to  use  it,  and 
you  will  find  the  printed  catalog  not  needed. 

On  cards  prepared  for  the  purpose  [see  chapter  on 
Things  needed  (9)  and  Library  Bureau  catalog],  a  card 
for  each  book — and  a  book  is  a  book  although  in  sev- 
eral volumes — write  the  author's  surname  (if  the  book 
is  anonymous  write  first  the  title),  given  name  or  names, 


CATALOGING   BOOKS 


05 


if  known,  title,  date  of  copyright,  date  of  publication, 
call-number,  and  such  other  data  as  seem  desirable. 
The  price,  for  example,  may  be  put  here,  and  the  size, 
indicating  this  by  a  letter.  [See  Cole  size  card  in  chap- 
ter on  Things  needed  (9)  and  in  Library  Bureau  catalog.] 
Arrange  these  cards  alphabetically,  by  authors'  names 
for  an  author  catalog.  This  catalog  will  be  in  constant 
use  in  the  purchasing  of  books,  in  classifying  new  pur- 
chases, etc.  By  the  call-number  one  can  refer  from 
any  entry  in  it  to  the  entry  of  the  same  book  in  the 
shelf-list.     To  make   possible  a  like  reference  to  the 


"611% 


CVoJ^  WmlW,      \'t^'^^- 


GCb^ 


lcL-Wrah>  "v/w.  "^Miy    cc^crvuii;:> 


^^.^t\^^Oi 


Author  card.    (Reduced;  actual  size,  7J^  x  i2j^  cm.) 

accession  book,  write  the  accession  number  of  each 
book  near  the  bottom  of  the  card  on  which  it  is  entered. 
In  making  the  catalog  entries  observe  certain  fixed 
rules  of  alphabetization,  capitalization,  punctuation,  ar- 
rangement, etc.,  as  set  forth  in  the  catalog  rules  which 
may  be  adopted.  Only  by  so  doing  can  you  secure 
uniformity  of  entry,  neatness  in  work,  and  the  greatest 
possible  meaning  from  every  note,  however  much  ab- 
breviated. 

Preserve  this  catalog  with  great  care.  It  is  the  key 
to  the  records  in  shelf-list  and  accession  book.  In  a 
small  library  the  public  may  very  properly  use  it.  As 
soon  as  possible,  if  your  library  is  to  be  quite  large  and 
much  used,  prepare  for  public  use  a  duplicate  of  it, 


96 


LIBRARY    PRIMER 


omitting  all  those  entries  in  the  original  which  are  of 
use  only  to  the  librarian. 

The  average  reader  more  often  remembers  the  titles 
of  books  than  their  authors.  Add,  therefore,  to  the 
authdr-list,  in  your  public  catalog — not  in  your  private 
or  official  catalog,  for  which  author-entries  alone  are 
sufficient — a  title-list;  a  set  of  cards  like  the  author 
cards,  except  that  on  each  one  the  book's  title  is  entered 
first  instead  of  its  author.  Arrange  author  and  title- 
lists  in  one  alphabetical  series. 


'^75?. 


QU.  %/ft^    '\M.    •\W      t<^<TMlh 


L^ 


Ls 


m^ 


LL. 


Title  card.    (Reduced;  actual  size,  7%  x  12]^  cm.) 

As  the  use  of  the  library  for  reference  work  increases, 
the  question  will  often  be  asked,  has  it  any  books  on  a 
certain  subject?  Add,  therefore,  to  your  author-  and 
title-list  a  subject-list.  Make  this  by  writing  a  card  for 
each  book  with  the  subject  of  which  it  treats  the  first 
word  upon  it.  Arrange  this  also  in  the  same  alphabet- 
ical series  with  the  other  two.  In  some  cases  the  book's 
title  and  its  subject  will  be  identical;  for  example, 
Geology,  by  Tompkins,  or  Washington's  boyhood,  by 
Jones.  For  such  books  one  card  answers  for  title 
and  subject.  For  fiction  no  subject-card  is  necessary. 
On  the  other  hand,  many  books  have  to  do  with  more 
than  one  subject;  a  volume  of  essays,  for  example,  or 
a  group  of  biographical  sketches.  For  such  it  is  desir- 
able to  add  to  the  subject-list  by  writing  as  many  cards 
for  each  book  as  the  importance  of  the  several  subjects 


CATALOGING   BOOKS 


97 


therein  and  the  space  the  author  gives  to  them  seem  to 
demand.  Each  card  will  have  for  the  first  word  of  its 
entry  the  subject  to  which  it  refers,  followed  by  the 
author  and  title  of  the  book. 

Arrange  these  cards  also  alphabetically  with  all  the 
others.  Put  on  every  card  in  the  catalog  the  call-num- 
ber of  the  book  to  which  it  refers.  This  author-title- 
subject-list,  or  dictionary  catalog,  will  tell  at  a  glance 
if  the  library  has  books  a)  by  a  certain  author;  b)  with 
a  given  title;  c)  on  a  given  subject.  These  are  the 
questions  most  often  asked. 


^7^,,^ 


\\i.&.-Wx< 


,^Y\K0Xt 


L^^ 


^^ 


^W)vU^^C;oj\.lL^aw,        \^?-wb'-' 


OlA;  %ms^  \f^  AW cJvgv\>A^ 


/V^Qo.-nL.Q        Tl^\  ?\^^0. 


Subject  card.    (Reduced;  actual  size,  7/^xi2j^  cm.) 

There  are  in  print  several  books  giving  rules  for 
cataloging.  Some  of  these  are  mentioned  in  the  chap- 
ter on  Things  needed  (9).  In  a  small  library  which  is 
always  to  be  small  it  is  not  necessary  to  follow  all  the 
rules  laid  down  in  these  books.  It  is  much  better,  how- 
ever, to  do  all  the  work,  even  in  a  very  small  library, 
according  to  the  most  approved  methods.  So  to  do 
brings  you  in  touch  with  your  fellows  and  gives  you 
the  comfort  which  comes  from  the  consciousness  of 
work  well  done,  even  if  the  amount  of  the  work  be 
small. 

In  writing  the  subject-headings  difficulties  will  soon 
arise  unless  you  follow  certain  general  rules  and  are 
careful  also  to  be  consistent  in  your  work.    For  instance, 


98  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

at  intervals  during  a  few  months  you  add  to  the  library 
books  on  horses,  cows,  sheep,  goats,  camels,  and  pigs; 
some  dealing  with  one  animal,  some  with  two  or  more. 
If  for  the  first  one  you  write  a  subject-card  with  the 
catch-word  or  entry-word  at  the  top  "Domestic  ani- 
mals," and  for  the  next  one  "Farm  animals,"  and  for  the 
next  one  "Animals,  domestic,"  you  will  scatter  the  ref- 
erences to  domesticated  animals  all  through  your  cat- 
alog, to  the  despair  of  those  who  would  use  it.  You 
can  guard  against  this,  and  easily,  if  your  catalog  is 
small,  by  looking  to  see  what  you  have  already  written 
every  time  you  write  a  new  subject-entry-word,  and 
by  following  out  a  previously  devised  plan  in  the  mak- 
ing of  your  entries.  The  safest  way  is  to  get  a  printed 
list  of  headings  and  catalog  rules  and  follow  them. 
(See  chapter  on  Things  needed,  9.) 

With  a  printed  list  of  subject-headings  at  hand  it 
is  not  difficult  to  keep  your  catalog  consistent  and 
reasonable. 

This  same  list  of  subject-headings  will  serve  also  as 
a  guide  in  the  writing  of  the  cross-reference  cards  for 
your  catalog,  the  cards,  that  is,  which  refer  the  searcher 
from  the  topic  "pigs,"  for  example,  to  "swine,"  or  from 
both  to  "domestic  animals." 

Of  course  the  subject-headings*  list  must  be  system- 
atically used,  and  must  be  marked  and  annotated  to 
fit  your  special  needs.  This  work,  like  classifying,  can 
best  be  learned  by  doing. 

There  are  many  ways  of  keeping  your  catalog  cards. 
The  thing  to  use  is  a  set  of  trays  made  for  the  purpose 
( See  Library  Bureau  catalog.)  The  cards  are  extremely 
valuable,  and  expense  should  not  be  spared  in  provid- 
ing for  their  safe  keeping  and  handy  use. 


PREPARING   BOOKS    FOR    THE    SHELVES  99 


CHAPTER  XXVI 
Preparing  books  for  the  shelves 

All  books  should  be  marked  with  the  name  of  the 
library.  This  is  cheaply  done  with  a  rubber  stamp  and 
violet  or  red  ink  pad.  An  embossing  stamp  makes  a 
good  and  indelible  mark.  The  type  used  should  be  of 
moderate  size  and  open  faced.  A  perforating  stamp 
now  on  the  market  marks  a  book  neatly  and  most  per- 
manently.    Mark  books  freely,  to  assure  their  being 


Embossing  stamp. 

recognized  as  the  library's  property  wherever  seen. 
Have  some  definite  pages  on  which  stamps  always  ap- 
pear. Many  use  the  title-page,  fifty-first  or  one  hun- 
dred and  first,  and  the  last  page.  This  need  not  inter- 
fere with  marking  elsewhere. 

On  the  back  of  the  book  write  the  call-number.  For 
this  purpose  use  a  tag  or  label.  They  can  be  had  in 
several  sizes;    round  ones  are  best.     Paste  the  label 


100  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

where  it  will  mar  the  book  least,  as  near  the  middle  as 
possible.  It  is  well  to  put  all  labels  at  the  same  height 
from  the  bottom  of  the  back,  so  far  as  this  can  be 
done  without  covering  essential  parts  of  the  lettering. 
Four  inches  is  a  good  height  for  the  lower  edge  of  all 
labels.  Labels  stick  better  if  the  place  where  they  are 
to  be  pasted  is  moistened  with  a  solution  of  ammonia 
and  water,  to  remove  varnish  or  grease.  If  this  is 
done  the  mucilage  or  gum  on  the  labels  when  pur- 
chased will  be  found  usually  to  stick  well.  After  the 
call-number  is  written,  varnish  the  label  with  a  thin 
solution  of  shellac  in  alcohol.  Labels  put  on  in  this 
way  will  keep  clean,  remain  legible,  and  rarely  come 
off. 

If  a  charging  system  using  a  pocket  is  adopted,  no 
book-plate  is  needed,  if  the  pocket,  that  is,  is  pasted 
on  the  inside  of  the  front  cover  and  has  the  name  of 
the  library  on  it. 

When  books  are  classified  the  call-number  is  written 
with  hard  pencil  on  a  certain  page,  the  same  page  in  all 
books;  a  common  place  is  the  first  right  hand  page  after 
the  title-page,  and  near  the  inner  margin. 

This  call-number  should  be  written  with  ink  on  the 
pocket  and  book  slip,  which  is  kept  in  the  pocket,  or 
on  the  book-plate.  It  is  advisable  also  to  write  the 
call-number  in  ink  on  some  definite  page  bearing  the 
library's  stamp. 

If  a  book-plate  is  adopted  let  it  be  small  and  simple. 
Have  a  special  plate  for  gifts;  with  space  on  it  for  writ- 
ing the  name  of  the  giver. 

Books  wear  better  if  they  are  carefully  opened  in  a 
number  of  places  before  they  are  placed  on  the  shelves. 
This  makes  the  backs  flexible  and  less  likely  to  break 


PREPARING  BOOKS  FOR  THE  SHELVES       lOI 

with  rough  handling.  In  cutting  the  leaves  be  sure 
that  the  paper  knife  does  its  work  to  the  very  back 
edge  of  the  top  folds,  that  it  is  never  sharp  enough  to 
cut  down  into  the  leaves,  and  that  it  is  held  nearly  par- 
allel to  the  fold  to  be  cut. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  things  to  be  done  before 
books  are  ready  for  use  in  a  public  library: 

1  Book  notices  and  reviews  are  read  and  the  library's 
needs  and  funds  considered. 

2  Order  slips  are  made  out,  arranged  alphabetically, 
and  compared  with  the  catalog  to  see  if  the  books 
listed  on  them  are  already  in  the  library. 

3  Order  list  is  made  out,  approved,  and  sent  to 
dealer. 

4  Books  arrive  and  are  checked  by  the  bill,  and 
brief  notes  of  date  of  purchase,  initials  of  dealer,  and 
price  are  written  on  the  left  margin  of  the  second  page 
after  the  title-page. 

5  Bill  is  checked  for  items  and  prices  by  order  slips. 

6  Gifts  when  received  are  a)  properly  acknowl- 
edged; b)  entered  in  gift  book;  c)  marked  with  small 
gift-book  plates  pasted  inside  the  front  cover. 

7  Books  are  looked  over  (if  you  wish),  collated,  es- 
pecially the  expensive  ones,  to  see  if  complete  and 
sound. 

8  Books  are  entered  in  the  accession  book. 

9  Books  are  stamped  with  library  stamp. 

10  Books  are  opened  to  loosen  binding,  and  pages 
cut,  if  necessary. 

11  The  book-plates  are  pasted  inside  the  front 
cover — if  book-plates  are  used. 

12  Pockets  are  pasted  on  the  inside  of  front  cover 
or  wherever  the  system  adopted  places  them. 


102  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

13  Labels  are  put  on  the  backs. 

14  Books  are  classified,  author-numbered  and  call- 
numbered. 

15  Books  are  entered  on  shelf-list. 

16  Catalog  cards  are  written — author,  title,  and  sub- 
ject. 

17  Bulletin  lists  of  the  books  are  made  out  for  post- 
ing up  and  for  newspapers. 

18  Call-numbers  are  written  on  the  labels,  the  pock- 
ets, and  the  book  slips. 

19  Labels  are  varnished. 

20  The  call-number  of  each  book  is  entered  in  the 
proper  place  on  the  line  which  that  book  occupies  in 
the  accession  book. 

21  Books  are  placed  on  the  library  shelves  for  pub- 
lic use. 

22  Catalog  cards,  author,  title,  and  subject,  are  ar- 
ranged alphabetically  in  one  series  and  distributed  in 
catalog. 


BINDING   AND    MENDING  IO3 


CHAPTER  XXVII 
Binding  and  mending 

Binding  a  book  means  not  only  covering  it,  but  pre- 
serving it.  Good  binding,  even  at  a  high  price,  edu- 
cates the  public  taste  and  promotes  a  desire  to  protect 
the  library  from  injury  and  loss.  Cheap  binding  de- 
grades books  and  costs  more  in  the  end  than  good 
work. 

Keep  in  a  bindery-book,  which  may  be  any  simple 
blank  book,  or  one  especially  made  for  the  purpose 
(see  Library  Bureau  catalog),  a  record  of  each  volume 
that  the  library  binds  or  rebinds. 

Enter  in  the  bindery-book  consecutive  bindery  num- 
ber, book-number,  author,  title,  binding  to  be  used, 
date  sent  to  bindery,  date  returned  from  bindery,  and 
cost  of  binding. 

Books  subject  to  much  wear  should  be  sewn  on  tapes, 
not  on  strings;  should  have  cloth  joints,  tight  backs, 
and  a  tough,  flexible  leather,  or  a  good,  smooth  cloth 
of  cotton  or  linen  such  as  is  now  much  used  by  good 
binders.  Most  of  the  expensive  leather,  and  all  cheap 
leather,  rots  in  a  short  time;  good  cloth  does  not. 
Very  few  libraries  can  afford  luxurious  binding.  Good 
material,  strong  sewing,  and  a  moderate  degree  of  skill 
and  taste  in  finishing  are  all  they  can  pay  for.  Learn 
to  tell  a  substantial  piece  of  work  when  you  see  it,  and 
insist  that  you  get  such  from  your  binder.  The  begin- 
ners' first  business  is  to  inform  himself  carefully  as  to 
character,  value,  cost  and  strength  of  all  common  bind- 
ing materials. 


104  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

From  binders,  or  from  dealers  in  binding  material, 
you  can  get  samples  of  cloth,  leather,  tapes,  string, 
thread,  etc.,  which  will  help  you  to  learn  what  to  ask 
for  from  your  local  binder. 

The  following  notes  are  from  a  lecture  by  John  H. 
H.  McNamee  before  the  Massachussets  library  club  in 
1896,  on  the  Essentials  of  good  binding: 

"Had  I  the  ordering  of  bindings  for  any  public  or 
circulating  library  where  books  are  given  out  to  all 
classes  of  people,  and  subjected  to  the  handling  which 
such  books  must  receive,  I  should,  from  my  experience 
as  a  binder,  recommend  the  following  rules: 

For  the  smaller  volumes  of  juveniles,  novels,  and 
perishable  books  (by  which  I  mean  books  which  are 
popular  for  a  short  time,  and  then  may  lie  on  the 
shelves  almost  as  so  much  lumber),  have  each  book 
pulled  to  pieces  and  sewed  with  Hayes'  linen  thread 
on  narrow  linen  tapes,  with  edges  carefully  trimmed. 

Have  the  books  rounded  and  backed,  but  not  laced 
in.  Have  the  boards  placed  away  from  the  backs  about 
one-fourth  of  an  inch,  in  order  to  give  plenty  of  room 
for  them  to  swing  easily  and  avoid  their  pulling  off  the 
first  and  last  signatures  of  the  book  when  opened. 
Give  the  back  and  joint  a  lining  of  super  or  cheese 
cloth.  Have  them  covered  with  American  duck  or  can- 
vas pasted  directly  to  the  leaves,  pressed  well  and  given 
plenty  of  time  to  dry  under  pressure,  and  so  avoid 
as  much  as  possible  all  warping  of  boards  and  shrink- 
age of  the  cloth.  For  all  large  folios,  newspapers 
and  kindred  works,  use  heavy  canvas,  as  it  is  some- 
what cheaper  than  sheep,  and  as  easily  worked.  Have 
them  sewed  strongly  on  the  requisite  number  of  bands, 


BINDING   AND    MENDING  IO5 

every  band  laced  into  the  boards,  which  should  be 
made  by  pasting  two  heavy  binder's  boards  together, 
to  prevent  warping  and  give  solidity  to  the  volume. 

The  reason  I  say  lace  in  large  volumes  is  that  the 
heavy  books  will  sag  and  pull  out  of  covers  by  their 
great  weight  unless  tightly  fastened  to  a  solid  board, 
thus  giving  the  book  a  good  foundation  to  stand  on. 

For  all  periodicals  not  bound  in  leather  I  should 
prescribe  the  same  treatment.  These  volumes  can  be 
lettered  in  ink  on  the  canvas,  or  in  gold  on  a  colored 
leather  label  pasted  on  the  cloth.  But  for  all  books 
which  are  destined  to  be  bound  in  leather  I  should 
surely,  and  without  any  hesitation  whatever,  order 
morocco,  and  by  this  I  mean  goat  skin,  and  I  should 
go  still  further  and  demand  a  good  German  or  French 
goat;  boards  hard  and  laced  in  at  every  band,  super 
joints,  full,  open  backs,  lettering  clear  and  distinct,  and 
the  paper  on  the  sides  to  match  the  leather. 

I  would  also  recommend  that  a  schedule  be  used, 
giving  a  space  for  schedule  number;  then  the  name  of 
book  or  books,  or  lettering  to  be  used  on  each  volume; 
space  for  the  number  of  volumes,  space  for  description 
of  binding,  and  finally  for  price,  thus  giving  the  binder 
a  complete  order  on  a  large  sheet,  which  he  is  in  no 
danger  of  losing.  All  he  will  have  to  do  is  to  mark  on 
the  title  of  each  volume,  in  small  figures,  its  schedule 
number,  and,  when  the  books  are  done,  put  down  the 
prices  and  add  up  the  column  of  figures,  and  make  out 
his  statement  as  per  the  number  of  schedule. 

This  method  gives  the  librarian  a  complete  list  of 
volumes  sent  and  returned,  and  by  laying  away  these 
schedules  she  has  for  handy  reference  a  very  complete 


I06  LIBRARY   PRIMER 

list  of  prices.  It  saves  the  binder  from  writing  out  the 
name  of  each  volume  on  his  bill,  and  as  the  librarian 
must  keep  a  list  of  books  sent,  why  not  keep  them  this 
way  as  well  as  any  other?  I  have  mislaid  or  lost  hun- 
dreds of  lettering  slips,  which  are  the  bane  of  a  book- 
binder's existence.  Lay  down  some  rules  for  the  cut- 
ting of  books,  placing  of  plates,  binding  of  covers,  and 
advertisements,  style  of  lettering,  etc.,  and  have  your 
binder  follow  them. 

Don't  ever  cut  with  a  folder  before  sending  to 
binder,  as  it  makes  the  sewing  more  difficult. 

Don't  pull  to  pieces  or  take  out  titles  and  indexes. 
The  binder  always  takes  care  of  that. 

Don't  take  off  ads,  as  it  sometimes  leaves  un- 
sightly tears  or  takes  away  pages,  and  if  all  leaves  are 
paged  the  binder  is  at  a  loss  to  know  if  the  book  is 
complete. 

Don't  ever  use  mucilage  or  glue.  Your  bookbinder 
will  send  you  a  little  paste,  or  you  can  make  it  by  boil- 
ing flour  and  water  and  sprinkling  in  a  little  salt.  If 
you  wish  to  keep  it  for  a  long  time,  mix  a  few  drops  of 
oil  of  cloves  with  it  and  seal  up. 

Of  course  there  are  cases  where  some  of  these  rules 
don't  apply,  such  as  volumes  made  up  from  leaves 
taken  from  several  other  volumes  or  pamphlets. 

In  case  of  a  book  of  this  kind  place  every  leaf  in 
correct  order,  and  write  directions  very  carefully." 

Many  books  will  need  repair.  A  few  hours  spent  in 
the  bindery,  studying  the  methods  of  putting  a  book 
together,  will  be  helpful,  not  only  in  the  matter  of  se- 
curing good  binding,  but  in  the  repairing  of  books  that 
have  gone  to  pieces.  Mend  and  rebind  your  books 
the  minute  they  seem  to  need  it.     Delay  is  the  extrava- 


BINDING   AND    MENDING  IOjI 

gant  thing  in  this  case.  If  you  are  slow  in  this  matter, 
leaves  and  sections  will  be  lost,  and  the  wear  the 
broken-backed  volume  is  getting  will  soon  remove  a 
part  of  the  fold  at  the  back  of  the  several  sections,  and 
make  the  whole  bock  a  hopeless  wreck  forever. 


108 


LIBRARY  PRIMER 


CHAPTER   XXVIII 
Pamphlets 

Save  all  pamphlets  having  to  do  with  local  history, 
and  save  also  those  of  a  general  nature  which  promise 
ever  to  be  of  any  importance.  In  a  small  library,  how- 
ever, or  in  any  library  in  which  money  for  salaries  is 
limited,  and  the  work  to  be  done  in  the  regular  matter 


L.  B.  pamphlet  case.    (V^arious  sizes.) 

of  attending  to  the  public,  lending  books,  etc.,  is  great, 
do  not  waste  time  in  trying  to  arrange  or  catalog  pam- 
phlets. Simply  let  them  accumulate,  arranging  them 
roughly  in  classes.  Bind  at  once  only  those  that  seem 
absolutely  to  demand  it.  In  the  history  of  almost  any 
library  the  time  will  come  when  it  will  be  possible  to 


PAMPHLETS  109 

sort  out  pamphlets,  arrange  them  properly,  catalog 
such  as  are  worth  it,  bind  them  singly  or  in  groups,  and 
incorporate  them  into  the  library.  But  any  system  of 
arranging  and  sorting  pamphlets  which  does  anything 
more  than  very  roughly  to  arrange  and  store  them,  and 
attempts  to  make  them,  without  much  labor,  accessible 
to  the  general  public,  is  almost  sure  to  be  a  failure. 
This  is  not  true  of  pamphlets  to  which  the  public  has 
not  access.  But  pamphlets  not  fully  cataloged  and  not 
accessible  to  the  public  are,  no  matter  how  scientifi- 
cally arranged,  almost  useless  plunder.  To  keep  them 
clean  and  in  order  nothing  is  as  good  as  a  pamphlet 
case,  which  any  boxmaker  can  make,  of  cardboard 
about  9  inches  high,  7  inches  deep,  and  2  inches  thick, 
open  at  the  back.  They  will  cost  from  4  to  12  cents 
each,  according  to  quality  of  board  used  and  quantity 
ordered.  For  holding  a  few  pamphlets  together  tem- 
porarily Ballard's  "klips"  are  best.  Sold  by  H.  H. 
Ballard,  Pittsfield,  Mass. 


no  LIBRARY   PRIMER 


CHAPTER  XXIX 
Public  documents 

Adelaide  R.  Hasse,  of  the  New  York  Public  library 
How  issued 

Government  documents  are  issued  in  two  sets  or 
editions,  viz.:  the  Congressional  or  sheep,  and  the 
Departmental  or  cloth.  The  annual  reports  of  the 
heads  of  departments,  with  many  of  the  serial  and  occa- 
sional publications  of  the  various  departments,  are  con- 
tained in  the  sheep  set,  and  in  addition,  all  the  reports 
of  committees,  and  records  of  the  transactions  of  con- 
gress, except  the  debates  which  are  contained  in  the 
Congressional  record.  The  cloth  set  contains  all  the 
publications  of  the  various  departments,  irrespective 
of  the  fact  that  some  of  them  may  have  appeared  in 
the  sheep  set. 

To  whom  issued 

The  depository  libraries  receive  the  sheep  set  by  law 
from  the  superintendent  of  documents.  Each  depart- 
ment has  its  own  list  of  "exchanges"  (i.  e.,  designations) 
which  receive  gratis  the  publications  of  that  department 
intended  for  general  distribution.  Non-depository 
libraries  receive  their  documents  regularly  from  the 
departments  when  on  the  department  exchange  list,  or 
irregularly  from  their  representatives  in  congress,  "Re- 
mainder libraries"  receive  from  the  superintendent  of 
documents  such  documents  as  can  be  supplied  from 
the  fractional  quotas  sent  to  him  after  the  editions 
ordered  for  the  use  of  congress  have  been  equally 
divided  among  the  senators  and  representatives. 


PUBLIC    DOCUMENTS.  Ill 

"Special  libraries"  are  those  libraries  specially  des- 
ignated by  members  of  congress  to  receive  the  publi- 
cations of  the  geological  survey. 

Many  thousands  of  books  have  been  sent  on  special 
application  to  libraries  not  on  the  list.  The  depository, 
remainder,  and  special  libraries  together  now  number 
over  1300. 

All  the  departments  still  control  the  distribution  or 
their  own  publications,  the  superintendent  of  docu- 
ments only  distributing  the  sheep  set,  and  such  of  the 
department  publications  as  have  been  turned  over  to 
him  by  the  departments  for  this  purpose,  or  of  which 
there  have  been  remainders.  Sometimes  the  number 
of  copies  of  its  own  publications  allotted  to  the  depart- 
ment is  very  small  and  soon  exhausted. 

Librarians  and  others  who  want  full  information 
about  the  distribution,  present  methods  of  issue,  etc., 
of  public  documents,  should  send  for  the  First  annual 
report  of  the  superintendent  of  documents.  In  addi- 
tion there  have  been  issued  from  his  office,  since  its 
establishment  in  March,  1895,  ^  check  list  of  public 
documents,  and  since  January,  1895,  a  monthly  catalog 
of  current  publications.  Both  are  mailed  free  upon 
application. 

Care  in  a  library 

The  question  of  the  most  economical,  and  at  the 
same  time  satisfactory  manner  of  caring  for  documents 
in  a  library,  cannot  be  considered  in  the  space  of  so 
brief  an  article  as  this  necessarily  must  be.  After  all, 
it  is  a  question  that  must  be  settled  by  each  library  for 
itself,  since  it  rests  chiefly  upon  the  extent  to  which 
the  library  can  afford  duplication. 

Depository  libraries  have  better  opportunities  than 


112  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

others  for  filling  up  the  sheep  set,  and  having  this  set 
they  have  the  greater  portion  of  those  documents  use- 
ful to  the  average  library.  A  complete  sheep  set  from 
the  15th  Congress  to  the  close  of  the  53d  Congress 
numbers  slightly  over  3343V.,  and  will  require  860  feet 
of  shelving,  or  six  modern  iron  book  stacks. 

Though  it  is  done  in  a  few  cases,  the  subject  classi- 
fication of  the  sheep  set  is  not  to  be  recommended. 
Where  subject  classification,  or  the  incorporation  of 
the  documents  in  the  general  library,  is  desired,  the 
cloth  set  is  preferable,  and  is  in  most  cases  procurable. 
If  a  library  can  afford  shelf  room  for  both,  it  will  be 
found  more  satisfactory  to  keep  the  s^eep  set  intact, 
and  to  make  a  selection  of  such  reports  from  the  cloth 
set  as  will  be  locally  useful  to  the  library. 

No  small  library  should  undertake  to  acquire  any 
documents  but  those  for  which  it  has  an  actual  use; 
only  the  largest  libraries  can  afford  the  task  of  filling 
up  sets  of  documents  simply  for  the  sake  of  having  a 
complete  record. 

Small  libraries,  and  all  libraries  in  need  of  any  spe- 
cial report  or  document,  can  get  it,  in  most  cases,  by 
applying  to  the  superintendent  of  documents.  Return 
all  your  duplicates  to  the  superintendent  of  documents; 
arrangements  for  their  transportation  will  be  made  by 
him  upon  notification,  and  anything  he  has  that  is 
needed  will  be  sent  in  exchange. 

Do  not  try  to  collect  a  complete  set  of  government 
documents;  the  government  of  the  United  States  has 
not  yet  been  able  to  do  that. 


CHECKING   THE    LIBRARY  II3 


CHAPTER   XXX 
Checking  the  library 

Check  the  library  over  occasionally.  It  need  not 
be  done  every  year.  It  is  an  expensive  thing  to  do, 
in  time,  and  is  not  of  great  value  when  done;  but 
now  and  then  it  must  be  gone  through  with.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  close  the  library  for  this  purpose.  Take 
one  department  at  a  time  and  check  it  by  the  shelf-list. 
Make  a  careful  list  of  all  books  missing.  Check  this 
list  by  the  charging  slips  at  the  counter.  For  those 
still  missing  make  a  general  but  hasty  search  through 
the  library.  Go  over  each  part  of  the  library  in  this 
way.  Then  compile  all  lists  of  missing  books  into 
one  list,  arranged  in  the  order  of  their  call-numbers. 
Once  or  twice  a  week  for  several  months  go  over  the 
library  with  this  list,  looking  for  missing  books.  Even 
with  access  to  the  shelves,  and  with  great  freedom  in 
matters  of  circulation,  not  many  books  will  be  found 
missing,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  at  the  end  of  a 
six  months'  search.  Such  books  as  are  still  missing  at 
the  end  of  any  given  period,  together  with  those  that 
have  been  discarded  as  worn  out,  and  those  that  have 
been  lost  by  borrowers,  should  be  properly  marked  on 
the  shelf-list,  and  should  have  an  entry  in  the  accession 
book,  stating  what  has  become  of  them.  If  they  are 
not  replaced,  it  will  be  advisable  to  withdraw  the  cards 
representing  them  from  the  card  catalog,  or  to  write  on 
the  cards  the  fact  of  withdrawal  and  the  cause. 

Keep  a  record  of  all  books  withdrawn  from  the 
library  for  whatever  reason. 


114  LIBRARY   PRIMER 


CHAPTER   XXXI 
Lists,  bulletins,  printed  catalog 

Give  the  public  access  to  the  card  catalog  if  pos- 
sible. If  a  dictionary  catalog  is  made  it  will  prove  to 
be  most  helpful  to  the  serious  students.  For  the  aver- 
age reader,  the  person  who  wishes  to  get  a  recent  book, 
the  latest  novel,  etc.,  prepare  lists  of  additions  from 
month  to  month,  post  them  up  in  some  convenient 
place  in  the  library,  and  put  them  in  a  binder  to  be  left 
on  desk  or  table  in  the  delivery  room. 

Print  lists  of  additions,  if  possible,  in  the  local 
papers;  also  publish  reference  lists  having  to  do  with 
current  events  and  matters  of  popular  interest.  Often- 
times the  newspapers  will  furnish,  for  a  small  sum, 
extra  copies  of  the  lists  which  they  have  printed.  If 
the  means  warrant  the  expenditure,  a  periodical  bulletin, 
appearing  once  a  month,  or  even  oftener,  containing 
information  about  the  library,  notes  on  recent  additions, 
suggestions  as  to  the  use  of  books,  lists  on  special  sub- 
jects, and  lists  of  books  lately  added  may  prove  useful. 
Such  a  bulletin  can  often  be  maintained  without  cost 
to  the  library  by  having  it  published  by  some  one  who 
will  pay  its  expenses  by  means  of  advertisements.  The 
very  best  way  of  bringing  new  books  to  the  attention 
of  readers  is  to  print  a  list  of  additions,  with  call-num- 
bers, as  condensed  as  possible,  and  with  no  other  mat- 
ter, for  free  distribution  in  the  library. 

In  printing  lists  of  books,  make  the  classes  covered 
special,  not  general.     Give  lists  suitable  for  as  many 


LISTS,    BULLETINS,    PRINTED    CATALOG  II5 

different  needs  and  occasions  as  possible.  There  can't 
be  too  many  of  them.  For  instance,  a  teacher  would 
find  thoroughly  helpful  and  practicable  such  classified 
lists  of  books  as,  for  beginners  in  third  and  fourth 
grades,  for  the  intermediate  pupils,  for  boys,  for  girls, 
numerous  references  to  the  current  events  of  the  day; 
historical  readings  d-ivided  into  periods  and  adapted 
to  different  grades;  historical  fiction  under  several 
forms  of  classification;  biographies  and  biographical 
sketches  suited  to  different  ages;  geographical  aids,  in- 
cluding travel,  description,  life,  scenes,  and  customs 
in  different  countries;  natural  history  and  elementary 
science;  the  resources  of  the  library  available  for  the 
purpose  of  illustrating  topics  in  history,  art,  and  sci- 
ence; material  for  theme  studies;  special  lists  for  anni- 
versary days  now  so  generally  observed  in  schools,  and 
so  on. 

Lists  in  which  the  titles  of  the  books  come  first  are 
better  liked  by  the  general  public  than  are  author-lists. 
People  commonly  know  books  by  name,  not  by  author. 

Don't  make  the  mistake  of  spending  much  money, 
at  the  library's  beginning,  for  a  printed  catalog.  A 
printed  catalog,  as  stated  in  chapter  25,  is  not  a  neces- 
sity. It  is  useful,  particularly  for  home  use,  to  tell 
whether  the  library  owns  certain  books;  but  with  a 
good  card  catalog,  newspaper  lists,  special  lists,  and 
the  like,  it  is  not  a  necessity.  Few  large  libraries  now 
publish  complete  catalogs. 


ii6 


LIBRARY   PRIMER 


CHAPTER   XXXII 


EXTRACT  FROM  CITY  ORDINANCL 

SEC.  f .  —  Any  person  who  shall  willfully  or 
maliciously  cut,  write  upon,  injure,  detace, 
destroy  any  Book,  Newspaper, 
Plate,  Picture,   Engraving,  or  Sutue 
^belonging   to   the   Chicago    Public 
^Library,  shall  be  liable  to  a  fine 
I  of  not  less  than  five  dollars-,  nor 
.  more  than  fifty  dollars  for  every 
I  such  offense. 


.EXTRACT  FROM  RULES. 

.  —  Books  may  be  re- 
i  tained  two  weeks,  and  may 
be  once  renewed  for  the 
same  period. 

30.  —A  fine  of  three  cents 

I  day  shall  be  paid  on  each 

'  work,  whether  bound  in  one 

or  more  volumes,  which  is  not 

red  according  to  the  pro- 

visions  of  the  preceding  rules; 

and  no  other  book  will  be  deliv. 

ered  to  the  party  incurring  the  fine 


RECEIVED. 


Acme  Ubrary  Card  Pocket. 

Under  Pat.  Sept.  26.^76,  "  Ref .  Index  F.Ie.' 

Mida  by  LIBRARY    BUREAU, 

125  Franklin  St.,  Oucaso, 


Keep  year  Card  in  tbis  Pocket 


Charging  system 

On  the  inside  of  the  front  cover  of  every  book  in 
the  library  paste  a  manilla  pocket.  (See  Library  Bu- 
reau catalog.)  Or  paste,  by  the  bottom  and  the  upper 
corners,  thus  making  a  pocket  of  it,  a  sheet  of  plain, 

stout  paper  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  first  page  of 
the  first  flyleaf.  On 
this  pocket,  at  the  top, 
write  the  call -number 
of  the  book.  Below 
this  print  information 
for  borrowers,  if  this 
seems  necessary.  In 
this  pocket  place  a 
book-card  of  heavy 
ledger  paper  or  light 
cardboard.  On  this 
book-card,  at  the  top, 
write  the  call-number  of 
the  book  in  the  pocket 
of  which  it  is  placed. 

To  every  borrower 
the  library  issues  a  bor- 
rower's card.  This  card 
is  made  of  heavy,  col- 
ored tag-board,  and 
contains  the  borrowers' 


Card-pocket. 
(Reduced;  actual  size.  7xi3/^  cm.) 


CHARGING  SYSTEM 


117 


name  and  address,  and  his  number  in  the  series  of  bor- 
rowers' numbers. 

The  librarian,  before  de- 
livering a  book  to  a  bor- 
rower, takes  from  the  pocket 
the  book-card,  writes  on  it 
the  number  found  at  the  top 
of  the  borrower's  card,  and 
after  it,  with  a  dater,  stamps 
the  day  of  the  month.  At 
the  same  time  he  stamps  the 
same  date  on  the  borrower's 
card,  and  on  the  pocket  in 
the  book  or  on  a  dating  slip 
pasted  in  the  book  opposite 
the  pocket. 

The   borrower's   card   he 
places  in  the  book  pocket, 
the  book-card  he  retains  as 
a  record  of  the  loan,  and  the  borrower  takes  the  book 
away.    The  book-card,  with  all  others  representing  the 

books  issued  on 
the  same  day, 
he  places  in  a 
tray  behind  a 
card  bearing 
the  date  of  the 
day  of  issue.  All 
the  book -cards 
representing 

Tray  for  book-cards.  books  isSUCd  On 

a  certain  day  are  arranged  in  the  order  of  their  call- 
numbers. 


T^oA^Os     oJ:TO\x"k      'l^vi.T 

V^ 

?^?,^ 

\a>\ 

0 

'?\^ 

?Afi 

0 

^K  \ 

ri?i9^ 

.^1 

(Redi 


Buok  card, 
ed;  actual  size,i2j^x7}^cm.) 


Il8  LIBRARY    PRIMP:R 

Under  this  system  the  borrower  can  tell,  by  looking 
at  his  card,  on  what  date  the  book  he  has  was  taken 
from  the  library.  If  he  wishes  to  renew  it  without  tak- 
ing it  back  to  the  library,  he  can  do  so  by  a  letter  stat- 
ing that  he  took  on  a  certain  day  a  book  bearing  a 
certain' number,  and  wishes  it  renewed. 

The  librarian  can  tell,  from  the  book-cards,  what 
books  are  in  circulation,  and  how  many  of  each  class 
were  lent  on  a  certain  day. 


City  Library  Association. 

Springfield,  Mass *3'X^^  IM:,  1 8«?5... 

The  book  noted   below  is  now  in  the  library  and  will  be 
reserved  for  you  until  9  p.  m,  ,']Fxfcr... /.5. 

Please  present  this  notice  and  your  library  card.     A  charge 
of  two  cents  is  made  for  this  notice. 

JouN  Cotton  Dana,  Librarian. 

BookM ZilXSM.  ''"-^'^      -- 

<tiiic,  etc Q.\A  Roinaa  3YYVYYvo'Cih3Jl[L6. 

KeMrve'PntuI     Form  i      Jan.  ^o,  VS.  5<x. 


No.  I.    Postal  notice.    (Reduced.) 

The  borrower's  number,  written  on  the  book-card 
of  any  given  book  in  circulation,  will  give,  through  the 
register  of  borrowers,  the  name  and  address  of  the 
person  having  that  book.  Overdue  books  are  auto- 
matically indicated,  their  cards  remaining  in  the  tray, 
behind  the  card  indicating  the  date  they  were  lent, 
after  the  day  for  their  return  has  passed. 

When  a  borrower  returns  a  book  the  librarian  can 
learn,  from  the  date  on  the  pocket,  whether  or  no  a 


CHARGING   SYSTEM  1 19 

fine  should  be  paid  on  it;  if  not,  he  can,  if  in  haste, 
immediately  take  out   the  borrower's   card    from   the 


Hame,   .Gc_e,0 .    B AO"  UOYX  , _._ Ha  8lQ.. 

Eeuidenoe,        7.2* U  C/LTtan.  .       


Employment,      YncLCTU.YXU6Jt , 

Employer,  S  YwLtrV   Sh    \A/^>feuOTb^. 

Place  of  busmeiB,     8  5     )TtOli.\rt _ 


No.  2.    Registration  card,  face.    (Reduced;  actual  size,  7l4  x  i2j^  cm.) 

book  pocket,  stamp  the  date  of  its  return  at  the  right 
of  the  date  on  which  it  was  lent,  thus  canceling  the 


^-Sl^.lH;  1899. 

le  City  of  Springfield,  a 
ibrary,  agree  to  comply 


I  hereby  declare  that  I  am  a  resident  of  the  City  of  Springfield,  and  in 
consideration  of  the  right  to  use  the  Free  City  Library,  agree  to  comply  with 
all  Regulations  provided  for  its  government 


I  hereby  certify  that  the  above  subscriber  is  a  fit  person  to  enjoy  the 
privileges  of  the  City  Library,  and  that  I  will  be  responsible  for  any  loss  or  in- 
jury the  Library  may  sustain  from  the  permission  given  to  draw  books  in  con- 
sequence of  this  certificate. 


Slfcnature  (in  ink) 

Resldlog  at  No, Street. 


No.  3.    Registration  card,  reverse.     (Reduced;  actual  size,  7H  x  12%  cm.) 

charge  against  the  borrower,  and  lay  the  book  aside 
and  look  up  its  book-card  later. 


120  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

Double  and  special  borrowers'  cards  are  not  needed 
under  this  system.  It  accommodates  itself  readily  to  a 
"two-book"  system.  On  the  book-cards  belonging  to 
the  second  book,  and  all  other  books  after  the  first, 
which  any  borrower  may  take,  the  librarian  writes  the 
borrower's  number  preceded  by  any  letter  or  sign  which 
will  serve  to  indicate  that  these  books  are  charged,  not 
on  the  borrower's  card,  but  to  the  borrower  direct,  on 


The  City  Library  Association,  Springfield,  flass. 

LITERATURE:     ART:     SCIENCE. 

The  Library:     Circulating  Department. 


The  rules  of  the  library  require  all  books  to  be  returned  in 

two  weeks.     Book  No. .VSL.Q  x'^rX- - stands  charged  to  you 

(Card  No.  1.9  0....fe )  as  taken  from  the  library f^h.l!33. 

You  are  incqrring  a  fine  of  two  cents  for  every  day's  detention. 
If  you  think  a  mistake  has  been  made,  please  notify  us. 
A  charge  of  two  cents  is  made  for  sending  this  notice. 

The  City  Library. 

No  fi7  ,,-os  «.  Present  this  notice  with  your  library  card. 


No.  4.    Overdue  notice.    (Postal  card,  reduced.) 

the  strength  of  a  general  permission  to  him  to  take 
more  than  one  book. 

The  postal  notice  no.  I,  the  registration  cards  2 
and  3,  the  notice  that  the  book  is  overdue,  no.  4,  the 
fine  slip,  no.  5,  all  explain  themselves. 

In  most  places,  certainly  in  all  small  towns,  a  suffi- 
cient safeguard  against  the  loss  of  books  is  found  in 
the  signature  of  the  borrower  himself.  No  guarantee 
need  be  called  for.  To  ask  for  a  guarantor  for  a  repu- 
table resident  is  simply  to  discommode  two  people 
instead  of  one.     The  application  which  the  borrower 


CHARGING    SYSTEM 


21 


signs  should  be  brief  and  plain.    Name,  residence,  place 
of  business,  and  any  necessary  references,  should  be 

written  in  by  the  librarian  on 
one  side;  the  signature  to  an 
agreement  to  obey  the  library 
rules  can  be  written  by  the 
applicant  on  the  other.  All 
borro  wers'agreements  should 
be  filed  in  alphabetical  order. 
They  should  receive  borrow- 
ers' numbers  in  the  order  of 
theirissue,  and  the  date.  The 
borrowers'  cards  should  state 
that  they  expire  in  a  definite 
number  of  years  from  the 
date  of  issue,  and  the  date  of 
issue  should  be  stamped  on 
them.  An  index  of  borrow- 
er's agreements  should  be 
kept  by  their  numbers.  This  need  contain  only  the 
borrower's  number,  his  name,  and,  when  necessary,  his 
address.  It  is  conveniently  kept  in  a  book.  It  is  bet- 
ter to  keep  it  on  cards. 


The    City   Library  Association. 
Springfield.  Ma55. 

H- 

Z 

/ 

2 

2 

8 
2 

No.  S-     Fine  slip. 
(Reduced;  actual  size  I2%x7l4cm.) 


22  LIBRARY   PRIMER 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 
Meeting  the  public 

If  the  public  is  not  admitted  to  the  shelves,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  supply  catalogs  for  public  use  as  well 
as  slips  on  which  lists  of  books  wanted  can  be  made 
out;  but  the  fullest  possible  catalogs  and  the  finest 
appointments  in  the  delivery  room  cannot  take  the 
place  of  direct  contact  between  librarian  or  assistants 
and  the  public.  Wherever  possible,  the  person  to  whom 
the  borrower  applies  for  a  book  should  go  himself  to 
the  shelves  for  it. 

The  stranger  in  the  library  should  be  made  welcome. 
Encourage  the  timid,  volunteer  to  them  directions  and 
suggestions,  and  instruct  them  in  the  library's  methods. 
Conversation  at  the  counter  having  to  do  with  wants 
of  borrowers  should  be  encouraged  rather  than  dis- 
couraged. No  mechanical  devices  can  take  the  place 
of  face  to  face  question  and  answer. 

The  public  like  to  handle  and  examine  their  books, 
and  it  is  good  for  them  to  do  it.  They  like  the  arrange- 
ments in  the  library  to  be  simple;  they  object  tp  red 
tape  and  rules.  They  like  to  have  their  institutions 
seem  to  assume — through,  for  example,  the  absence  of 
signs — that  they  know  how  to  conduct  themselves 
courteously  without  being  told.  They  don't  like  delays. 
They  like  to  be  encouraged  to  ask  questions.  They 
like  to  be  consulted  as  to  their  wants,  and  as  to  changes 
in  arrangements  and  methods.  They  like  to  feel  at 
home  in  their  library.     , 


THE   PUBLIC   LIBRARY    FOR   THE   PUBLIC  1 23 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 
The  public  library  for  the  public 

The  librarian  of  former  times  was  almost  invariably 
a  bookworm,  and  was  often  a  student  properly  so  called. 
The  older  librarians  of  the  present  day,  and  the  libra- 
rians of  the  great  libraries  of  our  cities,  are  also  very 
commonly  men  of  letters,  men  of  learning,  men  who 
admire  the  student  spirit  and  know  how  to  appreciate 
it.  The  librarian  of  former  days  actually  felt  that  the 
books  of  which  he  had  charge  were  to  be  used,  if  they 
were  used  at  all,  chiefly,  if  not  only,  by  persons  who 
wished  to  make  some  careful  and  painstaking  research; 
and  the  older  librarians,  and  the  librarians  of  the  greater 
libraries  of  today,  are  also  inclined  to  think  that  their 
libraries  are  best  used,  or  at  least  are  used  as  fully  as 
they  need  be,  when  they  are  visited  by  those  who  are 
engaged  in  original  investigation  or  serious  study  of 
some  sort.  As  a  fellow  librarian  once  wrote  me,  for 
example,  of  one  of  his  colleagues,  "His  whole  trend  is 
scholarly  rather  than  popular;  he  appreciates  genuine 
contributions  to  art,  science,  and  industry,  but  has  little 
taste  for  the  great  class  of  books  that  the  main  body 
of  readers  care  for."  This  view  of  literature,  libra- 
ries, and  the  use  of  books,  and  this  special  fondness 
for  what  may  be  called  genuine  contributions  to  art, 
science,  and  industry,  are  proper  enough  in  their  time 
and  place;  but  it  cannot  be  too  often  impressed  upon 
the  library  world,  and  upon  those  who  contribute  to  the 
support  of  libraries,  and  upon  trustees  and  directors 


124  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

generally,  that  the  thing  that  is  of  great  consequence 
in  the  work  of  the  free  public  library  is  not  its  product 
in  the  shape  of  books  which  are  the  results  of  careful 
research,  or  of  books  which  are  contributions  to  science, 
art,  and  industry;  it  is  the  work  that  the  library  does 
from  day  to  day  in  stimulating  the  inquiring  spirit,  in 
adding  to  the  interest  in  things,  and  in  broadening  the 
minds  of  the  common  people  who  form  90  per  cent  at 
'east  of  the  public  library  patrons.  That  is  to  say,  the 
public  library  is  chiefly  concerned  not  in  the  products 
of  education,  as  shown  in  the  finished  book,  but  in  the 
process  of  education  as  shown  in  the  developing  and 
training  of  the  library  users,  of  the  general  public. 

It  is  from  this  common-folks-education  point  of 
view  that  the  advocate  of  the  open-shelf  system  looks 
upon  the  question  of  library  administration.  A  free 
public  library  is  not  a  people's  post-graduate  school,  it 
is  the  people's  common  school. 

The  more  I  see  and  learn  of  free  public  libraries  the 
more  I  am  convinced  that  a  public  library  can  reach  a 
high  degree  of  efficiency  in  its  work  only  when  its  books 
are  accessible  to  all  its  patrons.  The  free  public  library 
should  not  be  managed  for  the  use  of  the  special  stu- 
dent, save  in  special  cases,  any  more  than  is  the  free 
public  school.  That  it  should  be  solely  or  chiefly  or 
primarily  the  student's  library,  in  any  proper  sense  of 
the  word,  is  as  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  the  whole  free 
public  library  movement  as  would  be  the  making  of  the 
public  schools  an  institution  for  the  creation  of  Greek 
philologians.  Everyone  engaged  in  educational  work, 
and  especially  those  thus  engaged  who  are  most  thor- 
oughly equipped  for  the  work  in  a  literary  way,  and 
are  most  in  touch  with  the  literary  and  scholarly  spirit. 


THE    PUBLIC    LIBRARY    FOR    THE    PUBLIC  I25 

should  have  his  attention  called  again  and  again  to  tho 
needs  of  the  crowd,  the  mass,  the  common  people,  the 
general  run,  the  90  per  cent  who  either  have  never  been 
within  a  schoolroom,  or  left  it  forever  by  the  time  they 
were  thirteen  years  of  age.  And  his  attention  should 
be  again  and  again  called  to  the  fact  that  of  the  millions 
of  children  who  are  getting  an  education  in  this  coun- 
try today,  not  over  5  or  6  per  cent  at  the  outside,  and 
perhaps  even  less  than  that,  ever  get  as  far,  even,  as 
the  high  schools.  The  few,  of  course,  rule  and  must 
keep  the  lamp  burning,  but  the  many  must  have  suffi- 
cient education  to  know  how  to  walk  by  it  if  democracy 
is  to  endure.  And  the  school  for  the  many  is,  and  is  to 
be,  if  the  opinions  of  librarians  are  correct,  the  free 
public  library;  but  it  cannot  be  a  school  for  the  many 
unless  the  many  walk  into  it,  and  go  among  its  books, 
handle  them,  and  so  doing  come  to  know  them  and  to 
love  them  and  to  use  them,  and  to  get  wisdom  from 
them. 


126  LIBRARY  PRIMER 


CHAPTER  XXXV 

Advice  to  a  librarian 

[From  Public  Libraries,  June,  1897] 

As  a  matter  of  fact  the  position  of  librarian  is  more 
of  an  executive  business  affair  than  a  literary  one,  Let 
me  give  you  fair  warning — it  is  in  no  sense  your  busi- 
ness to  dictate  to  others  as  to  what  they  may  or  may 
not,  should  or  should  not,  read,  and  if  you  attempt  to 
assume  such  responsibility  you  will  make  unnumbered 
enemies,  and  take  upon  yourself  a  thankless  and  un- 
called-for task. 

Frankly,  do  you  know  what  is  good  for  me  to  read? 
Are  you  not  very  much  in  doubt  what  is  best  for  your- 
self? Isn't  there  a  doubt  in  the  best  and  most  candid 
minds  upon  this  same  subject?  Let  the  board  of  di- 
rectors assume  the  responsibilities,  work  carefully  and 
cautiously  for  the  things  that  are  considered  best  by 
persons  of  some  authority,  the  people  with  sound, 
healthy  bodies  and  clean  minds,  and  thoroughly  dis- 
trust the  literary  crank.  Don't  be  too  sure  of  your  own 
judgment;  the  other  fellow  may  be  right,  especially  as 
to  what  he  wants  and  needs. 

Hang  on  to  your  tastes  and  prejudices  for  yourself, 
but  don't  impose  them  upon  others.  Cultivate  your 
own  tastes  carefully  by  reading  but  little,  and  that  little 
of  the  best;  avoid  the  latest  sensation  until  you  are 
quite  sure  it  is  more  than  a  sensation;  if  you  have  to 
buy  it  to  please  the  patrons,  have  some  convenient 
(literary)  dog  of  good  appetite  and  digestive  organs, 


ADVICE   TO   A   LIBRARIAN  12^ 

and  try  it  on  him  or  her  and  watch  the  general  effect. 
You  will  be  astonished  how  much  you  will  find  out 
about  a  book,  its  morals  and  manners,  by  the  things 

they  don't  say.     Our  mutual  friend's  father,  Mr  D , 

used  to  utterly  damn  a  book  to  me  when  he  said  it  was 
Just  fair,  and  his  It's  a  likely  story,  put  things  in  the 
front  ranks.  Just  get  the  confidence  of  as  many  read- 
ers as  you  can,  grapple  some  of  the  most  divergent 
minds  with  hooks  of  steel,  and  in  finding  out  how  little 
you  know  that  is  of  any  real  value  to  anyone  else,  you 
will  begin  to  be  of  some  little  value  to  yourself.  Don't 
try  to  direct.  The  fellow  that  wants  your  direction 
will  cause  you  to  ooze  out  the  information  he  needs, 
and  you  will  hardly  know  that  you  have  told  him  any- 
thing. 

I  may  be,  and  doubtless  am,  saying  much  that  is 
quite  unnecessary,  but  I  have  tried  to  bear  in  mind 
some  of  my  own  rhistakes,  and  of  others  around  me. 
I  have  been  impressed  with  the  fact  that  librarians 
seem  to  think  that  they  must  or  ought  to  know  every- 
thing, and  get  to  think  they  do  know.  It  is  a  delusion. 
One  can't  know  it  all,  and  only  a  hopeless  case  tries. 

Be  more  than  content  to  be  ignorant  on  many 
things.  Look  at  your  position  as  a  high-grade  busi- 
ness one,  look  after  the  working  details,  have  things 
go  smoothly,  know  the  whereabouts  and  classification 
of  the  books,  and  let  people  choose  their  own  mental 
food,  but  see  to  it  that  all  that  is  put  before  them  is 
wholesome. 


128  LIBRARY    PRIMER 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 
The  librarian  as  a  host 

Maude  R.  Henderson,  in  Public  Libraries,  September,  1896 

Each  librarian  needs  to  have  an  ideal  for  society; 
must  have  before  him  an  end  of  which  his  work  will  be 
only  a  part. 

It  is  the  peculiar  position  of  the  librarian  to  be  so 
situated  that  with  the  consent  of  his  trustees  he  may, 
simply  by  virtue  of  his  office,  be  able  to  draw  about 
him  more  of  the  elements  of  usefulness  than  almost 
any  other  person.  Even  a  librarian  who  is  a  stranger 
is  not  taking  matters  unduly  into  his  own  hands  in  im- 
mediately availing  himself  of  this  privilege,  for  he  is 
placed  in  the  community  where  he  can  bring  together 
those  who  have  something  to  give  and  those  who  wish 
to  receive.  His  invitation  is  non-partisan,  non-secta- 
rian, and  without  social  distinctions. 

The  object  of  this  article  upon  the  librarian  as  a 
host  is  to  suggest  methods  of  usefulness  for  the  com- 
munity through  the  forms  of  entertainment  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  librarian.  A  surprising  number  of  people, 
not  having  attractive  surroundings,  and  not  having  un- 
bounded resources  within  themselves,  lead  dull  lives. 
The  theater  is  expensive,  sometimes  not  available,  often 
not  attractive,  and  one  of  the  attractions  of  a  library 
evening  will  be  that  it  is  "some  place  to  go,"  but  does 
no  violence  either  to  their  scruples  ,or  their  ideas  of 
economy.  Many  who  will  not  identify  themselves  with 
clubs,  from  an  aversion  to  organization,  will  appreciate 


THE   LIBRARIAN   AS    A    HOST  1 29 

the  freedom  from  it  here,  for  there  will  be  no  officers, 
no  rules,  no  fees. 

If  there  is  no  especial  note  that  the  librarian  thinks 
it  would  be  well  to  sound,  he  may  let  it  be  known  that 
the  first  of  a  series  of  entertainments  to  be  given  by 
the  library,  at  the  library,  will  be,  for  instance,  a  talk 
upon  the  Child  in  History,  Our  American  Illustrators, 
or  some  attractive  subject. 

There  are  always  a  number  of  specialists,  even  in 
small  places,  who  can  contribute  liberally  to  these 
plans,  thus  relieving  the  librarian  of  any  real  work  be- 
yond that  of  planning,  while  it  accomplishes  the  double 
purpose  of  engaging  the  interest  of  the  speaker  in  the 
work  of  the  library,  and  of  furnishing  the  entertainment 
for  others.  The  following  suggestions,  which  have  been 
prepared  for  the  work  of  a  small  library,  will  give  a 
more  definite  idea  of  the  plan. 

Very  often  there  will  be  found  some  one  who,  hav- 
ing a  special  fondness  for  one  school  of  art,  has  made 
a  collection  of  reproductions  of  its  famous  works  in 
photographs,  casts  or  engravings,  who  will  willingly 
loan  them  for  the  illustration  of  a  talk  upon  this  theme, 
even  if  not  quite  as  willingly  giving  the  talk  himself. 

A  beautiful  program  for  a  musical  evening  would 
consist  of  the  conversation  or  paper  upon  a  certain 
musical  form,  such  as  the  opera,  symphony,  or  perhaps 
dance  music,  being  illustrated  and  varied  by  the  per- 
formance of  examples  of  those  forms.  The  organized 
musical  clubs  could  here  be  of  the  greatest  service  in 
taking  charge  of  the  whole  entertainment. 


130  LIBRARY   PRIMER 

An  enthusiasm  for  a  work  ot  this  kind  may  be  some- 
what crushed  out  by  the  press  of  regular  duties,  but  the 
librarian  may  be  greatly  helped  by  the  cooperation 
of  organized  clubs.  Musical  societies,  Saengerbunds, 
the  Elks,  Daughters  of  the  Revolution,  and  other  socie- 
ties are  constantly  preparing  excellent  entertainments, 
which  it  is  hoped  they  will  be  willing  to  reproduce  for 
those  who  have  either  not  the  leisure  or  the  inclination 
to  study.  Such  a  movement  does  not  in  any  way  di- 
vert the  energies  of  the  library  from  their  original  aims, 
but  is  only  another  means  of  enhancing  their  efficacy. 
The  resources  of  the  library  upon  each  of  the  subjects 
presented  can  be  made  known  in  many  ways  familiar 
to  the  librarian,  such  as  posted  lists,  bulletins,  and  by 
the  mention  of  them  in  the  talks. 

Upon  a  night  which  the  librarian  might  consider  of 
interest  to  them,  special  invitations  may  be  sent  to  the 
different  organized  societies  of  working  people,  such 
as  the  retail  clerks,  labor  unions,  etc  ,  who  might  not 
include  themselves  readily  in  a  general  published  in- 
vitation. 

It  has  been  generally  observed  that  more  people 
are  willing  to  read  than  know  what  to  read,  and  are  al- 
ways glad  of  help  in  selection. 

The  originality  of  the  librarian  will  develop  many 
themes  and  schemes,  and  the  work  itself  will  doubtless 
show  new  veins  which  may  be  followed  up.  It  may 
be  that  not  many  will  avail  themselves  of  any  one  in- 
vitation, but  with  a  constant  change  of  topic  and  man- 
ner of  presentation,  there  cannot  fail  to  be  a  great 
number,  eventually,  whose  attention  will  be  enlisted. 


LIBRARY   PATRONS  I3I 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 
Library  patrons— Making  friends  of  them 

Library  patrons  may  be  roughly  divided  into  classes, 
thus:  First — The  adult  student  who,  on  rare  occasions, 
calls  to  supplement  the  resources  of  his  own  collection 
of  books  with  the  resources  of  the  public  institution. 
This  class  is  very  small.  Second — The  dilettante,  or 
amateur,  who  is  getting  up  an  essay  or  a  criticism  for 
some  club  or  society,  and  wishes  to  verify  his  impres- 
sion as  to  the  color  of  James  Russell  Lowell's  hair,  or 
the  exact  words  Dickens  once  used  to  James  T.  Fields 
in  speaking  of  a  certain  ought-to-be-forgotten  poem  of 
Browning's.  This  class  is  large,  and  its  annual  growth 
in  this  country  is  probably  an  encouraging  sign  of 
the  times.  It  indicates  interest.  Third — The  serious- 
minded  reader  who  alternately  tackles  Macaulay,  Dar- 
win, and  Tom  Jones  with  frequent  and  prolonged  re- 
lapses— simply  to  rest  his  mind — into  Mrs  Wistar  and 
Capt.  King.  This  class  is  quite  large,  and  though  in  too 
arge  a  measure  the  victims  of  misplaced  confidence 
in  Sir  John  Lubbock  and  Frederick  Harrison,  they 
make  excellent  progress  and  do  much  to  keep  up  the 
reading  habit.  Fourth — The  "Oh,  just-anything-good- 
you-know"  reader.  Her  name  is  legion.  She  never 
knows  what  she  has  read.  Yet  the  social  student  who 
failed  to  take  into  account  the  desultory,  pastime 
reader,  would  miss  a  great  factor  in  the  spread  of 
ideas.  Fifth — The  person  who  does  not  read.  He  is 
commoner  than  most  suppose.    He  is  often  young,  more 


132  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

often  boy  than  girl,  oftener  young  man  than  young 
woman.  He  commits  eternally  what  Mr  Putnam  aptly 
calls  the  great  crime  against  the  library  of  staying  away 
from  it.  He  is  classed  among  the  patrons  of  the  li- 
brary somewhat  as  the  western  schoolma'am  brought 
in  knowledge  of  the  capital  of  Massachusetts  as  part 
of  her  mental  baggage:  "Well,  I  know  I  ought  to  know 
it."  He  ought  to  be  a  library  patron.  How  make  him 
one?  There  are  many  methods,  and  all  should  be  tried. 
The  Pears'  soap  plan  of  printers'  ink  is  one  of  the  finest 
and  best. 

If  a  library  has  or  is  a  good  thing  for  the  commu- 
nity let  it  so  be  said,  early,  late,  and  often,  in  large,  plain 
type.  So  doing  shall  the  library's  books  enter — before 
too  old  to  be  of  service — into  that  state  of  utter  worn- 
out-ness  which  is  the  only  known  book-heaven.  An- 
other way,  and  by  some  found  good,  is  to  work  the  sin- 
fully indifferent  first  up  into  a  library  missionary,  and 
then  transform  him  into  a  patron.  A  library  is  some- 
thing to  which  he  can  give  an  old  book,  an  old  paper, 
an  old  magazine,  with  no  loss  to  himself.  Having 
given,  the  library  is  at  once  his  field,  a  Timbuctoo  for 
his  missionary  spirit,  is  in  part  his  creation.  Ever 
after  he  is  its  interested  friend.  He  wants  to  know 
about  it.     He  goes  to  see  it.     He  uses  it. 


PUBLIC   LIBRARIES   AND    RECREATION  1 33 


CHAPTER   XXXVIII 
Public  libraries  and  recreation 

W.  I.  Fletcher  in  Public  Libraries,  July,   1898 

There  is  nothing  out  of  place  in  the  comparing  of 
the  library  to  the  school  and  the  college,  but  its  true 
mission  is  not  to  be  so  limited.  To  a  large  extent  it  is 
to  be  compared,  as  an  object  of  public  care  and  expense, 
with  the  park,  the  modern  common,  where  there  are 
flower-beds,  rare  plants  in  conservatories,  lakes  with 
boats  in  summer  and  skating  in  winter,  and  music  by 
excellent  bands.  Not  very  strictly  useful,  these  things, 
but  recognized  everywhere  as  ministering  to  the  real 
culture  of  the  people.  Let  this  library,  then,  be  the 
place  where  you  will  come,  not  merely  to  study  and 
store  your  minds  with  so-called  "useful"  knowledge, 
but  also  often  to  have  a  good  time;  to  refresh  your 
minds  and  hearts  with  humor  and  poetry  and  fiction. 
Let  the  boys  find  here  wholesome  books  of  adventure, 
and  tales  such  as  a  boy  likes;  let  the  girls  find  the 
stories  which  delight  them  and  give  their  fancy  and 
imagination  exercise;  let  the  tired  housewife  find  the 
novels  which  will  transport  her  to  an  ideal  realm  of 
love  and  happiness;  let  the  hard-worked  man,  instead 
of  being  expected  always  to  read  "improving"  books 
of  history  or  politics,  choose  that  which  shall  give  him 
relaxation  of  mind  and  nerve,  perhaps  the  Innocents 
abroad,  or  Josh  Billings*  "AUminax,"  or  Samanthy  at 
Saratoga. 


134  LIBRARY   PRIMER 


CHAPTER  XXXIX 
Books  as  useful  tools 


There  is  still  too  much  of  superstition  and  rever- 
ence mingled  with  the  thought  of  books  and  literature, 
and  study  and  studentship  in  the  popular  mind.  Books 
are  tools,  of  which  here  and  there  one  is  useful  for  a 
certain  purpose  to  a  certain  person.  The  farmer  con- 
sults his  farm  paper  on  the  mixing  of  pig-feed;  the 
cook  takes  from  the  latest  treatise  the  rules  for  a  new 
salad;  the  chemist  finds  in  his  journal  the  last  word  on 
the  detection  of  poisons;  the  man  of  affairs  turns  to  the 
last  market  reports  for  guidance  in  his  day's  transac- 
tions; and  all  have  used  books,  have  studied  literature. 
The  hammer  and  the  poem,  the  hoe  and  the  dictionary, 
the  engine  and  the  encyclopedia,  the  trowel  and  the 
treatise  on  philosophy — these  are  tools.  One  and  all, 
they  are  expressions  of  the  life  of  the  race.  But  they 
are  not,  for  that  reason,  to  be  reverenced.  They  are 
proper  for  man's  service,  not  man  for  theirs.  Approach 
books,  then,  as  you  would  a  sewing  machine,  a  school, 
or  a  factory. 

Literature,  after  all,  is  simply  all  that's  printed.  In 
print  are  found  the  sum  of  the  experience  and  observa- 
tion of  the  whole  race.  Out  of  this  print  it  is  the  li- 
brarian's business  to  help  his  fellows  to  draw  such  facts 
and  suggestions  as  may  aid  them  in  their  work. 


A   VILLAGE   LIBRARY   SUCCESSFULLY    MANAGED      1 35 


CHAPTER  XL 
A  village  library  successfully  managed 

James  R.  Garfield,  in  Public  Libraries,  October,  i8g6 

Mentor,  Ohio,  is  a  village  of  but  500  people;  there- 
fore we  are  somewhat  limited  in  our  ability  to  raise 
funds  for  carrying  on  library  work.  But  some  six  years 
ago  15  of  us  got  together  and  began  holding  a  series 
of  meetings  every  month,  something  in  the  nature  of 
the  old  New  England  township  meeting,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  stirring  up  an  interest  in  town  affairs,  and  in 
doing  that  we  considered  it  necessary  to  have  some 
central  point  of  interest  around  which  we  could  all 
work,  and  we  chose  as  that  the  library.  There  had 
never  been  a  library  in  the  village  except  a  small  circu- 
lating library.  We  all  believed  that  the  use  of  books 
and  the  greater  knowledge  of  books  would  be  a  com- 
mon center  of  interest  around  which  we  could  all  work 
and  toward  which  we  would  be  glad  to  give  work.  The 
result  of  five  years'  work  in  this  way  was  that  we  now 
have  a  library  of  about  i6oov.,  and  two  years  ago,  act- 
ing under  a  general  law  of  the  state,  we  became  incor- 
porated, and  requested  the  village  council  to  levy  a  tax 
for  the  work  of  the  library.  We  at  that  time  had  about 
looov.  The  council  very  readily  saw  the  advantage  of 
this  kind  of  work.  They  appreciated  what  was  being 
done  for  the  citizens  and  schools  of  the  state,  and 
therefore  they  levied  a  tax  and  turned  the  proceeds  of 
the  tax  over  to  the  library  board.  In  this  way,  you 
will  see,  the  library  board  is  kept  entirely  aloof  from 
politics.     There  are  no  elections  by  the  people,  nor  is 


136  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

the  board  appointed  by  any  political  officers.  It  is  a 
self-constituted  body,  a  corporate  body  under  the  laws 
of  this  state,  and  as  long  as  we  maintain  our  corporate 
existence  the  village  may  turn  over  the  funds  to  the 
library.  We  settled  the  difficulty  of  women's  rights  by 
having  an  equal  number  of  both  men  and  women  on 
the  board,  and  then  in  order  to  avoid  the  question  of 
disruption  of  families  we  made  the  other  member  of 
the  family  who  was  not  on  an  honorary  member  of  the 
board.  In  this  way  we  increased  the  number  of  work- 
ers and  at  the  same  time  satisfied  the  desire  of  many 
people  to  hold  office. 

But  we  found  that  15,  together  with  the  supernu- 
merary and  honorary  members,  were  unwieldy,  and  the 
work  practically  devolved  upon  very  few  of  the  mem- 
bers. Therefore,  when  we  incorporated,  we  made  an 
executive  board  consisting  of  five  members,  and  they 
had  absolute  management  of  the  library  proper.  They 
are  elected  every  year  from  the  members  of  the  asso- 
ciation, and  have  absolute  control  of  the  library. 

Although  our  library  is  supported  by  the  village,  we 
make  it  absolutely  free  to  anyone  who  desires  to  use  it. 
Those  outside  the  village  or  township  are  required  to 
put  up  a  nominal  deposit,  merely  for  the  safe  return  of 
the  book.  We  made  this  the  ideal  toward  which  we 
are  working — that  the  friendship  of  books  is  like  the 
friendship  of  men,  it  is  worth  nothing  and  avails  noth- 
ing unless  it  is  used  constantly  and  improved  con- 
stantly. 


RULES    FOR    THE    PUBLIC  I37 


CHAPTER  XLI 
Rules  for  the  public 

Printed  rules,  telling  the  public  how  they  may  use 
the  library,  are  best  put  in  the  form  of  information  and 
suggestions.  Thus  published  they  do  not  give  the 
impression  of  red  tape  and  restrictions  so  much  as  of 
help  in  making  access  to  the  library's  resources  easier 
and  pleasanter. 

The  following  suggestions  and  rules  are  copied  with 
slight  modification  from  a  set  in  actual  use. 

The  Utopia  free  public  library 

Information  and  suggestions 
GENERAL 

The  library  is  open  to  everyone. 
Do  not  hesitate  to  ask  questions. 
Suggestions  of  books  for  purchase  and  of  changes 
in  methods  are  asked  for. 

CIRCULATING   DEPARTMENT 

The  circulating  department  is  open  from  10  to  9. 

All  persons  residing  in  the  city  of  Utopia,  and  giv- 
ing satisfactory  reference,  are  entitled  to  use  the  circu- 
lating department  of  the  library  on  subscribing  to  the 
following  agreement: 

I  hereby  certify  that  I  am  a  resident  of  the  city  ot 
Utopia,  and,  in  consideration  of  the  right  to  use  the 
free  circulating  department  of  the  library,  agree  tc 
comply  with  the  regulations  provided  for  its  govern- 
ment. 


138  LIBRARY   PRIMER 

A  card-holder  is  responsible  for  all  books  taken  on 
his  card. 

Immediate  notice  should  be  given  of  change  of 
residence. 

The  library  card  should  be  presented  when  a  book 
is  drawn,  renewed,  or  returned. 

To  renew  a  book,  bring  or  send  your  card  and  the 
number  of  the  book. 

Lost  cards  can  be  replaced  at  once  on  payment  of 
10  cents  for  renewal,  or  without  charge  after  a  delay  of 
two  weeks. 

One  book,  or  one  work  if  not  in  more  than  three 
volumes,  may  be  taken  at  a  time  and  kept  two  weeks, 
when  it  may  be  renewed  for  two  weeks. 

Four  weeks  is  the  limit  of  time  that  a  book  can  be 
retained  in  any  one  household. 

Books  must  be  returned  on  the  same  card  on  which 
they  are  drawn. 

A  book  cannot  be  transferred  from  one  account  to 
another  unless  it  is  brought  to  the  library. 

A  fine  at  the  rate  of  2  cents  per  day  is  assessed  on 
each  book  retained  over  time,  payable  on  its  return. 

A  book  retained  more  than  a  week  beyond  the  time 
limited  may  be  sent  for  at  the  expense  of  the  delinquent. 

Books  marked  with  a  *  in  the  catalogs  are  reference 
books,  and  are  not  lent. 

No  pen  or  pencil  marks  should  be  made  in  the 
books. 

Any  person  who  refuses,  to  pay  the  fines  or  expenses 
mentioned,  or  wilfully  violates  any  of  the  foregoing 
rules,  forfeits  thereby  all  right  to  the  use  of  the  library. 

Teachers,  and  for  good  cause  others,  can  take  out 
more  than  one  book  (other  than  fiction)  at  a  time,  for 


RULES    FOR    THE    PUBLIC  1 39 

such  a  term  as  may  have  been  agreed  upon  before  the 
books  leave  the  library.  In  the  absence  of  such  agree- 
ment the  books  can  be  kept  for  the  usual  time  only. 

Persons  not  resident  in  the  city  may  be  allowed,  at 
the  discretion  of  the  librarian,  to  take  books  on  pay- 
ment of  $1  per  year,  and  on  signing  an  agreement  to 
comply  with  the  regulations  of  the  library. 

REFERENCE    DEPARTMENT 

The  librarian  and  assistants  are  glad  of  opportuni- 
ties to  help  those  wishing  to  do  reference  work  of  dny 
kind  to  a  knowledge  of  the  location  of  the  books  and 
the  use  of  catalogs,  indexes,  and  other  aids. 

READING   ROOM 

The  reading  room  is  open  from  9  a.m.  to  9  p.m.  on 
week  days;  and  on  Sundays  from  I  p.m.  to  6  p.m. 

Conversation  and  conduct  inconsistent  with  quiet 
and  order  are  prohibited. 

Back  numbers  of  papers  and  periodicals  may  be  had 
on  application  to  the  attendants. 

The  books,  papers,  and  periodicals  should  be  care- 
fully used,  and  neither  marked  nor  cut. 

Persons  who  wilfully  violate  any  of  the  foregoing 
rules  thereby  forfeit  all  right  to  the  use  of  the  reading 
room.  I 


40  LIBRARY    PRIMER 


CHAPTER   XLII 

Rules  for  the  government  of  the  Board  of  trustees  and  employes 
of  the  public  library 

[Slightly  modified  from  the  rules  of  the  Erie  (Pa.)  public 
library.] 

ARTICLE  I 

MEETINGS  OF  THE  BOARD 

Section  i.  The  regular  meetings  of  the  board  of 
trustees  shall  be  held  on  the  Monday  preceding  the  first 
Thursday  of  every  month,  at  8  p.  m. 

Sec.  2.  Special  meetings  shall  be  called  by  the 
president  whenever,  in  his  judgment,  they  may  be  nec- 
essary; or  at  the  written  request  of  three  members  of 
the  board. 

ARTICLE  II 

QUORUMS 

Section  i.  Five  members  of  the  board  and  two  of 
any  standing  committee  shall  constitute  a  quorum,  in 
either  case,  for  the  transaction  of  business. 

ARTICLE  III 

ORDER    OF    BUSINESS 

Section  i.  The  order  of  business  at  all  regular 
meetings  of  the  board  shall  be  as  follows: 

1.  Roll  call. 

2.  Reading  of  the  minutes. 

3.  Petitions  and  communications. 

4.  Hearing  of  citizens  and  others. 

5.  Report  of  the  secretary. 

6.  Report  of  the  librarian. 


Rules  for  "Trustees  and  employes  141 

7.  Report  of  the  book  committee. 

8.  Report  of  the  finance  committee. 

9.  Report  of  the  building  committee. 

10.  Report  of  special  committees. 

11.  Bills  and  pay-rolls. 

12.  New  business. 

ARTICLE  IV 

OFFICERS 

Section  i.  The  officers  of  the  board  shall  consist 
of  a  president,  vice-president,  and  secretary,  each  of 
whom  shall  be  elected  at  the  regular  meeting  in  Janu- 
ary, to  serve  for  one  year.  In  case  of  a  vacancy  the 
board  may  elect  a  person  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  at 
any  regular  meeting.  Temporary  appointments  may 
be  made  in  the  absence  of  the  regular  officers. 

Sec.  2.  The  president  shall  preside  at  the  meetings 
of  the  board;  appoint  the  various  committees;  certify 
all  bills  that  have  been  recommended  for  payment  by 
the  board;  prepare  the  annual  report;  see  to  the  gen- 
eral enforcement  of  the  rules;  and  perform  such  other 
duties  as  the  board  may  direct.  In  conjunction  with 
the  finance  committee,  he  shall  make  an  estimate  at  the 
close  of  each  fiscal  year  of  the  probable  expenses  for 
the  ensuing  year,  and  submit  the  same  to  the  board 
for  its  action. 

Sec.  3.  The  vice-president  shall  perform  the  duties 
of  the  president  in  the  latter's  absence. 

Sec.  4.  The  secretary  shall  record  all  proceedings 
of  the  board;  read  the  minutes  of  the  preceding  meet- 
ing, or  meetings,  at  each  regular  meeting;  keep  a  detailed 
account  of  receipts  and  expenses;  report  the  same  to 
the  board  monthly;  file  all  communications,  vouchers, 


142  •    LIBRARY   PRIMER 

and  other  papers;  certify  all  bills  that  have  been  recom- 
mended for  payment  by  the  board;  transmit  all  resolu- 
tions and  recommendations  that  may  require  it  to  the 
board  of  education  or  the  proper  committee  thereof; 
prepare  an  annual  report  of  receipts  and  expenses;  and 
perform  such  other  duties  as  the  board  may  require. 

ARTICLE  V 

COMMITTEES 

Section  i.  The  standing  committees  of  the  board 
shall  be  a  finance  committee,  a  book  committee,  and  a 
committee  on  building  and  grounds,  each  to  consist  of 
three  members,  to  be  named  by  the  president  at  the 
regular  meeting  in  February  of  each  year. 

Sec.  2.  The  finance  committee  shall  certify  to  the 
correctness  of  all  bills  and  pay-rolls  before  their  pre- 
sentation to  the  board;  require  a  voucher  for  all  ex- 
penses; see  that  the  accounts  are  properly  kept;  aid 
the  president  in  making  up  his  annual  estimates;  verify 
the  fiscal  reports  of  the  secretary  and  librarian;  and 
look  after  the  financial  affairs  of  the  board  generally. 

Sec.  3.  The  book  committee  shall  be  consulted  by 
the  librarian  in  the  selection  of  all  books,  magazines, 
newspapers,  etc.;  prepare  the  rules  for  the  management 
of  the  library;  supervise  the  cataloging,  labeling,  and 
shelving  of  the  various  publications;  have  general 
charge  of  the  book  rooms;  suggest  suitable  persons  for 
employes  (except  the  janitor  and  his  assistants),  and 
fix  the  duties -of  the  same;  require  a  list  of  all  gifts, 
purchases  and  losses  to  be  kept  by  the  librarian,  and 
verify  his  monthly  and  annual  statements  of  the  same. 

Sec.  4.  The  committee  on  building  and  grounds 
shall  purchase  and  take  charge  of  the  furniture  and 


RULES    FOR   TRUSTEES    AND    EMPLOYES  I43 

fixtures  in  the  Library  building;  look  after  all  matters 
pertaining  to  the  building  and  grounds  (inclusive  of 
sidewalks,  lawns,  heating, lighting,  and  ventilation),  and 
suggest  the  proper  persons  to  serve  as  janitor  and  assist- 
ants to  the  same.  They  shall  require  all  parts  of  the 
premises  to  be  kept  in  a  neat,  clean,  and  creditable 
condition,  and  report  all  defects  that  require  repair  oj 
remedy. 

ARTICLE  VI 

EXPENDITURES 

Section  i.  Unless  otherwise  ordered  by  the  board, 
no  indebtedness  shall  be  incurred  without  the  previous 
approval  of  the  proper  committee. 

Sec.  2.  No  committee  shall  authorize  an  expense 
of  more  than  $25  in  any  one  month  without  having 
secured  the  sanction  of  the  board  in  advance. 

Sec.  3.  No  bill  shall  be  recommended  to  be  paid 
by  the  board  until  it  has  been  approved  by  the  proper 
committee  in  writing. 

Sec.  4.  All  bills  recommended  for  payment  by  the 
board  shall  be  certified  by  the  president  and  secretary. 

Sec.  5.  When  bids  are  asked  for  supplies,  furniture, 
repairs,  labor,  etc.,  they  shall  be  made  under  seal,  and 
shall  only  be  opened  at  a  meeting  of  the  board  or  of 
the  committee  to  which  the  matter  has  been  referred. 

ARTICLE  VII 

TO  BE   IN  WRITING 

Section  i.  All  reports,  recommendations,  and  reso- 
lutions shall  be  submitted  in  writing. 

Sec.  2.  Reports  of  committees  shall  be  signed  by 
two  members  thereof. 


144  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

ARTICLE  VIII 

EMPLOYES 

Section  i„  The  terms  of  all  regular  employes  shall 
continue  until  their  successors  are  appointed.  They 
shall  be  subject,  however,  to  removal  for  cause,  at  any 
time,  by  a  vote  of  the  board. 

Sec.  2.  The  president  may  suspend  any  employe, 
for  cause,  subject  to  the  action  of  the  board  at  its  next 
nieeting. 

Sec.  3.  The  salaries  of  employes  shall  be  fixed  be- 
fore their  election. 

ARTICLE  IX 

THE    LIBRARIAN 

Section  i.  Subject  to  the  direction  of  the  board  and 
the  several  committees,  the  librarian  shall  have  super- 
visory charge,  control,  and  management  of  the  Library 
building  and  all  of  its  appurtenances,  as  well  as  of  all 
the  employes  in  and  about  the  same. 

Sec.  2.  He  shall  be  held  strictly  responsible  for  the 
care  and  preservation  of  the  property  in  charge  of  the 
board;  the  courtesy  and  efficiency  of  the  library  serv- 
ice; the  accuracy  of  the  records;  the  reliability  of  his 
accounts  and  statements;  the  classifying,  cataloging, 
and  shelving  of  the  books;  the  enforcement  of  the  rules; 
the  cleanliness  and  good  condition  of  the  building, 
grounds,  and  sidewalks;  and  the  proper  heating,  light- 
ing, and  ventilation  of  the  building. 

Sec  3.  He  shall  attend  the  meetings  of  the  board 
and  assist  the  secretary  in  keeping  his  minutes  and 
accounts. 

Sec.  4.     He  shall  keep  an  account,-  in   permanent 


RULES    FOR   TRUSTEES   AND    EMPLOYES  14$ 

form,  of  all  his  receipts  and  expenses  on  behalf  of  the 
library,  and  report  the  same  to  the  board  monthly. 

Sec.  5.  He  shall  make  a  monthly  report  of  the 
operations  of  the  library,  including  a  list  of  all  acces- 
sions to  the  various  departments  of  the  same,  whether 
by  gift  or  purchase,  with  such  recommendations  as,  in 
his  opinion,  will  promote  its  efficiency. 

Sec.  6.  He  shall  keep  record  books  of  all  accessions 
to  the  library  by  purchase,  and  of  all  gifts  for  its  sev- 
eral departments,  with  the  dates  when  received,  and, 
in  the  case  of  donations,  the  names  and  places  of  resi- 
dence of  the  donors. 

Sec.  7.  He  shall  promptly  and  courteously  acknowl- 
edge all  gifts  to  the  library  or  any  of  its  departments. 

Sec.  8.  He  shall  keep  an  account  of  the  time  of  the 
several  employes;  prepare  the  pay-rolls  in  accordance 
therewith,  and  place  the  same  before  the  finance  com- 
mittee in  advance  of  each  regular  meeting. 

Sec.  9.  He  shall  prepare  an  annual  report  showing, 
as  fully  as  may  be  practical,  the  operation  of  the  library 
and  its  several  departments  during  the  preceding  year, 
with  an  inventory  of  the  furniture,  books,  and  other 
contents  of  the  building. 

Sec.  10.  The  first  assistant  librarian  shall  perform 
the  duties  of  the  librarian  during  the  latter's  absence. 

ARTICLE  X 

AMENDMENTS 

Section  i.  Amendments  hereto  shall  only  be  made 
at  a  regular  meeting  of  the  board,  and  must  be  proposed 
at  least  one  month  previous  to  final  action  on  the  same. 


146  LIBRARY   PRIMER 


CHAPTER  XLIII 

Reports 

As  far  as  the  welfare  of  the  library  is  concerned,  the 
money  spent  in  publishing  an  elaborate  annual  report 
can  often  be  better  invested  in  a  few  popular  books,  or, 
better  still,  in  a  few  attractively  printed  statements  of 
progress  and  of  needs,  distributed  through  the  com- 
munity on  special  occasions.  If  there  must  be  an  an- 
nual report  for  the  general  public — which  will  not  read 
it — it  should  be  brief  and  interesting,  without  many 
figures  and  without  many  complaints.  Do  not  think  it 
necessary,  in  making  up  your  report,  to  adopt  the  form 
or  the  list  of  contents  usually  followed  by  libraries. 
Give  the  necessary  figures  as  briefly  as  may  be,  and 
adapt  the  rest  of  the  report  to  the  library  and  its  com- 
munity. 


LIBRARY   LEGISLATION  I47 


CHAPTER  XLIV 
Library  legislation 

Prank  C.  Patten,  librarian  Helena  (Mont.)  public  librnry 

The  modern  library  movement  is  embodying  ideas 
that  are  yet  to  make  public  libraries  about  as  common 
as  public  schools,  and  correspondingly  important  in 
educational  value.  After  a  generation  of  most  remark- 
able growth  of  public  libraries  in  number,  size,  and 
recognized  usefulness,  experience  can  now  enlighten 
us  in  regard  to  plans  of  library  support  and  organiza- 
tion. The  best  interests  of  the  movement  are  served 
by  embodying  the  results  of  this  experience  in  law. 
Such  a  law,  by  setting  forth  a  good  plan,  encourages 
the  establishment  and  promotes  the  growth  of  these 
popular  educational  institutions. 

Outline  of  a  good  law 

The  following  outline  (with  explanatory  notes)  em- 
braces the  important  provisions  of  a  good  state  library 
law: 

I  Establishment  and  mainiefiance. — Authorize  the  gov- 
erning body  in  connection  with  the  voters  of  any  city, 
town,  county,  school  district,  or  other  political  body 
that  has  power  to  levy  and  collect  taxes,  to  establish 
and  maintain  a  public  library  for  the  free  use  of  the 
people.  Provide  also  for  joint  establishment  and  main- 
tenance, for  aiding  a  free  library  with  public  money, 
and  for  contract  with  some  existing  library  for  general 
or  special  library  privileges.  Provide  for  maintenance 
by  regular  annual  rate  of  tax.     Authorize  special  tax 


I4S  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

or  bonds  to  provide  rooms,  land,  or  buildings.  Provide 
that  on  petition  of  25  or  50  taxpayers  the  questions  of 
establishment,  rate  of  tax,  and  bonds  shall  first  be  de- 
cided by  vote  of  the  people  at  general  or  special  elec- 
tion, to  be  changed  only  by  another  vote. 

Note. — It  is  believed  that  there  need  be  no  limit  of  rate  placed 
in  the  state  law,  as  a  community  is  not  at  all  likely  to  vote  to  tax 
itself  too  high  for  library  support.  The  people  of  a  small  place 
will,  in  fact,  often  fail  to  realize  that  in  order  to  raise  money 
enough  to  accomplish  their  object  the  tax  rate  must  be  higher 
than  in  a  large  place.  It  is  not  impossible  that  communities  will, 
by  and  by,  spend  about  as  much  in  support  of  their  public  libra- 
ries as  in  support  of  their  public  schools. 

2  Management, — Establish  an  independent  board  of 
trustees  and  place  the  management  wholly  in  its  hands. 
Constitute  the  library  a  public  corporation,  with  power 
to  acquire,  hold,  transfer,  and  lease  property,  and  to 
receive  donations  and  bequests.  Secure  a  permanent 
board  with  gradual  change  of  membership,  the  number 
of  members  to  be  not  less  than  three,  and  the  term  of 
office  certainly  to  be  not  less  than  three  years. 

Note. — In  order  to  remove  public  library  management  from 
the  influences  of  party  politics,  the  library  and  its  property  should 
be  wholly  left  to  the  control  of  trustees  selected  from  citizens  of 
recognized  fitness  for  such  a  duty.  Ex-officio  membership  in  a 
library  board  should  generally  be  avoided,  especially  in  case  of  a 
small  board;  fitness  for  the  position  alone  should  be  considered. 
Experience  seems  to  show  that  in  cities  the  proper  board  of  trus- 
tees can  best  be  secured  through  appointment  by  the  mayor  and 
confirmation  by  the  council.  It  is  a  good  way  to  provide  for  five 
trustees,  one  to  be  appointed  each  year  for  a  term  of  five  years. 
This  number  is  large  enough  to  be  representative,  and  small 
enough  to  avoid  the  great  difficulty  in  securing  a  quorum  if  th<- 
number  is  large.  The  length  of  term  in  connection  with  gradual 
change  of  membership  encourages  careful  planning,  and  it  secures 
the  much  needed  continuity  of  management  and  political  inde- 


LIBRARY   LEGISLATION  149 

pendence.    And  yet  there  is  sufficient  change  of  officers  so  that 
the  board  will  not  be  too  far  removed  from  the  public  will. 

3  Miscellaneous. — State  the  purpose  of  a  public  li- 
brary broadly,  perhaps  in  the  form  of  a  definition. 
Make  possible  the  maintenance  of  loan,  reference,  read- 
ing room,  museum,  lecture,  and  allied  educational  fea- 
tures, and  of  branches.  Prescribe  mode  for  changing 
form  of  organization  of  an  existing  library  to  conform 
to  new  law.  Impose  penalties  for  theft,  mutilation, 
over-detention,  and  disturbance.  Provide  for  distrib- 
uting all  publications  of  the  state  free  to  public  libra- 
ries. 

Note. — It  is  probably  most  convenient  to  have  the  library  year 
correspond  with  the  calendar  year.  It  is  well  to  have  the  trustees 
appointed  and  the  report  of  the  library  made  at  a  different  time 
of  the  year  from  either  the  local  or  general  elections.  The  library 
is  thus  more  likely  to  be  free  from  the  influences  of  party  politics. 
To  have  a  library  treasurer  is  probably  the  better  plan,  but  library 
money  may  be  kept  in  the  hands  of  the  municipal  treasurer  as  a 
separate  fund,  and  be  paid  out  by  order  of  the  board  of  trustees 
only. 

Libraries  for  schoolrooms,  to  be  composed  of  reference  books, 
books  for  supplementary  reading,  class  duplicates,  and  profes- 
sional books  for  teachers,  should  be  provided  for  in  the  public 
school  law.  School  funds  should  be  used  and  school  authorities 
should  manage  these  libraries.  The  business  of  lending  books 
for  home  use  is  better  and  more  economically  managed  by  a  pub- 
lic library,  having  an  organization  that  is  independent  of  the 
school  authorities. 

4  A  state  central  authority. — Establish  a  state  library 
commission;  appointments  on  this  commission  to  be 
made  by  the  governor  and  confirmed  by  the  senate, 
one  each  year  for  a  term  of  five  years.  Make  the  com- 
missipn  the  head  of  the  public  library  system  of  the 
state  with  supervisory  powers.     Let  the  commission 


150  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

manage  the  state  library  entirely,  and  center  all  its 
work  at  that  institution.  Let  it  be  the  duty  of  the  com- 
mission, whenever  it  is  asked,  to  give  advice  and  in- 
struction in  organization  and  administration  to  the 
libraries  in  the  state;  to  receive  reports  from  these  li- 
braries and  to  publish  an  annual  report;  to  manage  the 
distribution  of  state  aid,  and  to  manage  a  system  of 
traveling  libraries. 

Note. — Within  a  few  years  each  of  several  states  has  provided 
for  a  state  library  commission,  to  be  in  some  sense  the  head  of  the 
public  library  system  of  the  state,  as  the  state  board  of  education 
is  the  head  of  the  public  school  system  of  the  state.  By  having 
small  traveling  libraries  of  50  or  loov.  each,  to  lend  for  a  few 
months  to  localities  that  have  no  libraries,  and  by  having  a  little 
state  aid  to  distribute  wisely,  the  state  library  commission  is  able 
to  encourage  communities  to  do  more  for  themselves  in  a  library 
way  than  they  otherwise  would.  There  may  be  cases  where  the 
work  of  the  commission  might  better  be  centered  at  the  state  uni- 
versity library.  The  state  library  commission  has  proved  to  be  a 
useful  agency  wherever  tried,  and  the  plan  seems  likely  to  spread 
throughout  the  country.  In  Wyoming  the  income  from  30,000 
acres  of  state  land  forms  a  library  fund.  It  would  seem  probable 
that  other  states  will  adopt  this  plan.  By  far  the  most  complete 
and  successful  state  system  that  has  yet  been  organized  is  that  of 
New  York,  where  all  centers  in  the  state  library  at  Albany  as 
headquarters. 

Reading  matter  on  library  legislation 

The  report  of  the  United  States  commissioner  of 
education  for  1895-96  contains  a  compilation  of  the 
library  laws  of  all  the  states.  Every  year  new  laws 
and  amendments  are  enacted  in  several  of  the  states, 
and  the  advance  is  very  marked.  The  laws  of  New 
York,  Massachusetts,  Wisconsin,  and  Illinois  are  ainong 
the  best. 


LIBRARY   LEGISLATION  I5I 


Essentials  of  a  good  law 


The  three  most  essential  things  to  be  provided  for 
in  a  good  state  library  law  are: 

1  A  sure  and  steady  revenue. 

2  Careful  and  consecutive  management. 

3  A  central  library  authority. 

In  attempting  to  alter  or  make  new  laws,  these  es- 
sentials should  be  kept  clearly  in  mind,  but  special 
conditions  peculiar  to  each  state  dictate  modifications 
of  any  general  plan.  Anyone  interested  in  the  matter 
could  read  the  general  articles  upon  the  subject  and 
the  various  state  laws,  and  then,  with  the  assistance  of 
the  best  legal  talent  to  be  obtained,  frame  an  act  ap- 
propriate to  the  conditions  of  his  state. 


152  LIBRARY   PRIMER 


CHAPTER  XLV 
A.  L.  A.  and  other  library  associations  and  clubs 

The  American  Library  Association  was  organized 
in  1876.  It  holds  annual  meetings.  It  publishes  its 
proceedings  in  volumes,  of  which  those  now  in  print 
may  be  purchased  of  the  A.  L.  A.  Publishing  section, 
10^  Beacon  st.,  Boston,  or  of  the  secretary.  It  seeks 
in  every  practicable  way  to  develop  and  strengthen  the 
public  library  as  an  essential  part  of  the  American  edu- 
cational system.  It  therefore  strives  by  individual  ef- 
fort of  members,  and  where  practicable  by  local  organi- 
zation, to  stimulate  public  interest  in  establishing  or 
improving  libraries,  and  thus  to  bring  the  best  reading 
within  reach  of  all. 

Librarians,  trustees,  and  persons  interested  may 
become  members;  the  annual  fee  is  $2.  Membership 
entitles  one  to  a  copy  of  the  proceedings;  it  has  now 
about  800  members. 

Every  person  actively  engaged  in  library  work  owes 
it  to  herself,  as  well  as  to  her  profession,  to  join  the 
American  Library  Association.  If  the  association  is 
large,  if  its  meetings  are  well  attended,  if  its  proceed- 
ings as  published  show  that  the  problems  of  library 
work  are  carefully  studied,  if  the  published  proceed- 
ings are  widely  circulated,  it  is  easier  to  persuade  the 
intelligent  part  of  the  public  that  the  librarian's  pro- 
fession is  serious,  dignified,  and  calls  to  its  membership 
men  and  women  of  ability  and  zeal.  If  the  public  is 
persuaded  of  these  things,  the  position  of  the  humblest 
as  well  as  of  the  highest  in  the  profession  is  thereby 


A.  L.  A.    AND    OTHER    LIBRARY   ASSOCIATIONS  1 53 

rendered  better  worth  the  holding.  To  attend  dili- 
gently to  one's  business  is  sometimes  a  most  proper 
form  of  advertising  one's  merits.  To  be  a  zealous  and 
active  member  of  the  A.  L.  A.  is  to  attend  to  an  im- 
portant part  of  one's  business;  for  one  can't  join  it  and 
work  with  it  and  for  it  and  not  increase  one's  efficiency 
in  many  ways. 

State  associations  have  been  organized  in  the  fol- 
lowing states:  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Wis- 
consin, Maine,  Massachusetts,  Michigan,  Minnesota, 
Nebraska,  New  Hampshire,  New  Jersey,  Vermont,  Cali- 
fornia, Colorado,  Connecticut,  Georgia,  Illinois,  Indi- 
ana, Iowa. 

The  following  states  have  state  library  commis- 
sions :  Connecticut,  Georgia,  Massachusetts,  New  Hamp- 
shire, New  York,  Ohio,  Vermont,  Wisconsin,  Indiana, 
Colorado,  Michigan,  New  Jersey,  Minnesota. 

The  following  cities  have  library  clubs:  Buffalo, 
Chicago,  Minneapolis,  New  York  city,  Washington 
city. 

An  inquiry  for  information  regarding  any  of  these 
associations  or  clubs,  addressed  to  any  librarian  in  the 
states  given,  will  receive  attention. 

Much  of  what  is  said  above  about  the  A.  L.  A.  ap- 
plies with  equal  force  to  the  association  of  one's  state 
or  neighborhood.  Often,  moreover,  it  is  possible  to 
attend  a  state  association  meeting  at  small  expense  ot 
time  or  money. 


154  LIBRARY    PRIMER 


CHAPTER  XLVI 
Library  schools  and  training  classes 

As  libraries  have  become  more  thoroughly  organ- 
ized, as  they  have  become  more  aggressive  in  their 
methods,  and  as  they  have  come  to  be  looked  upon  by 
librarians  and  others  as  possible  active  factors  in  edu- 
cational work,  the  proper  management  of  them  has 
naturally  been  found  to  require  experience  and  tech- 
nical knowledge  as  well  as  tact,  a  love  of  books,  and 
janitorial  zeal.  It  is  seen  that  the  best  librarians  are 
trained  as  well  as  born;  hence  the  library  school. 
The  library  school — a  list  of  those  now  in  operation 
will  be  found  at  the  end  of  this  chapter — does  not  con- 
fine itself  to  education  in  the  technical  details  of  li- 
brary management.  It  aims  first  to  arouse  in  its  pu- 
pils the  "modern  library  spirit,"  the  wish,  that  is,  to 
make  the  library  an  institution  which  shall  help  its 
owners,  the  public,  to  become  happier  and  wiser,  and 
adds  to  this  work  what  it  can  of  knowledge  of  books, 
their  use,  their  housing,  and  their  helpful  arrangement. 
Perhaps  the  ideal  preparation  for  a  librarian  today 
would  be,  after  a  thorough  general  education,  two  or 
three  years  in  a  good  library  school  preceded  and  fol- 
lowed by  a  year  in  a  growing  library  of  moderate  size. 

A  few  libraries  have  tried  with  much  success  the 
apprentice  system  of  library  training,  taking  in  a  class, 
or  series  of  classes,  for  a  few  months  or  a  year,  and  at 
the  end  of  the  period  of  apprenticeship  selecting  from 
the  class  additions  to  its  regular  corps. 


LIBRARY   SCHOOLS   AND   TRAINING   CLASSES  1 55 

List  of  library  schools  and  training  classes 

New  York  state  library  school,  Albany;  Pratt  in- 
stitute library  school,  Brooklyn;  Wisconsin  summer 
school  of  library  science,  Madison;  Drexel  institute 
library  school,  Philadelphia,  Pa.;  University  of  Illinois 
state  library  school,  Champaign;  Amherst  summer 
school  library  class,  Amherst,  Mass.;  Los  Angeles 
public  library  training  class;  Cleveland  summer  schoo] 
of  library  science. 


156  LIBRARY   PRIMER 


CHAPTER  XLVII 
The  Library  department  of  the  N.  E.  A. 

The  Library  department  of  the  National  educational 
association  holds  meetings  annually  at  the  same  time 
and  place  with  the  N.  E.  A. 

The  National  educational  association  is  the  largest 
organized  body  of  members  of  the  teaching  profession 
in  the  world.  Its  annual  meetings  bring  together  from 
5000  to  1 5, OCX)  teachers  of  every  grade,  from  the  kin- 
dergarten to  the  university.  It  includes  a  number  of 
departments,  each  devoted  to  a  special  branch  of  edu- 
cational work.  The  Library  department  was  estab- 
lished in  1897.  ^t  t^^s  held  successful  meetings.  It  is 
doing  much  to  bring  together  librarians  and  teachers. 
It  is  arousing  much  interest  in  the  subject  of  the  use 
of  books  by  young  people,  briefly  touched  on  in  the 
later  chapters  of  this  book. 

Following  the  example  of  the  N.  E.  A.,  many  state 
and  county  associations  of  teachers  throughout  the 
country  have  established  library  departments.  At 
these  are  discussed  the  many  aspects  of  such  difficult 
and  as  yet  unanswered  questions  as:  What  do  chil- 
dren most  like  to  read?  How  interest  them  in  read- 
ing?    What  is  the  best  reading  for  them? 


YOUNG   PEOPLE   AND   THE   SCHOOLS  I57 


CHAPTER   XLVIH 
Young  people  and  the  schools 

If  possible  give  the  young  people  a  reading  room 
of  their  own,  and  a  room  in  which  are  their  own  partic- 
ular books.  These  special  privileges  will  not  bar  them 
from  the  general  use  of  the  library.  Make  no  age  limit 
in  issuing  borrowers'  cards.  A  child  old  enough  to 
know  the  use  of  books  is  old  enough  to  borrow  them, 
and  to  begin  that  branch  of  its  education  which  a  li- 
brary only  can  give.  The  fact  that  a  child  is  a  regular 
attendant  at  school  is  in  itself  almost  sufficient  guar- 
antee for  giving  him  a  borrower's  cardc  Certainly  this 
fact,  in  addition  to  the  signature  of  parent,  guardian, 
or  adult  friend,  even  if  the  signer  does  not  come  to 
the  library,  will  be  guarantee  enough. 

Teachers  should  be  asked  to  help  in  persuading 
children  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  the  library,  and 
then  to  make  good  use  of  it.  To  get  this  help  from 
teachers  is  not  easy.  They  are  generally  fully  occupied 
with  keeping  their  pupils  up  to  the  required  scholar- 
ship mark.  They  have  no  time  to  look  after  outside 
matters. 

Visits  to  teachers  in  their  schoolrooms  by  librarian 
or  assistant  will  often  be  found  helpful.  Lists  of  books 
adapted  to  schoolroom  use,  both  for  the  teacher  and 
for  pupils,  are  good,  but  are  very  little  used  when 
offered,  unless  followed  up  by  personal  work.  Brief 
statements  of  what  the  library  can  do  and  would  like 
to  do  in  the  way  of  helping  on  the  educational  work  of 


158  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

the  community  will  be  read  by  the  occasional  teacher. 
Teachers  can  sometimes  be  interested  in  a  library 
through  the  interest  in  it  of  the  children  themselves. 
The  work  of  getting  young  people  to  come  to  the  li- 
brary and  enjoy  its  books  should  go  hand  in  hand  with 
the  work  of  persuading  teachers  to  interest  children  in 
the  library.  It  is  not  enough  to  advertise  the  library's 
advantages  in  the  papers,  or  to  send  to  teachers  a 
printed  statement  that  they  are  invited  and  urged  to 
use  the  institution;  nor  is  it  enough  to  visit  them  and 
say  that  the  books  in  the  library  are  at  their  service. 
These  facts  must  be  demonstrated  by  actual  practice 
on  every  possible  opportunity.  A  tfeacher  who  goes 
to  a  library  and  finds  its  privileges  much  hedged  about 
with  rules  and  regulations  will  perhaps  use  it  occasion- 
ally, certainly  not  often.  Appropriate  books  should 
be  put  directly  into  their  hands,  the  educational  work 
of  this,  that,  and  the  other  teacher  should  be  noted, 
and  their  attention  called  to  the  new  books  which  touch 
their  particular  fields. 

Teachers'  cards  can  be  provided  which  will  give  to 
holders  special  privileges.  It  is  a  question,  however, 
if  such  a  system  is  necessary  or  worth  while.  Under 
the  charging  system  already  described  any  teacher 
can  be  permitted  to  take  away  as  many  books  as  she 
wishes,  and  a  record  of  them  can  be  easily  and  quickly 
made.  To  give  "teachers'  cards,"  with  accompanying 
privileges,  is  to  limit  to  some  extent  the  rights  of  all 
others.  And  yet  teachers  may  very  often  properly  re- 
ceive special  attention.  In  a  measure  they  are  part  of 
the  library's  staff  of  educational  workers.  But  these 
special  attentions  or  favors  should  be  offered  without 
proclaiming  the  fact  to  the  rest  of  the  community. 


YOUNG  PEOPLE  AND  THE  SCHOOLS        I  59 

Many  cannot  see  why  a  teacher  should  receive  favors 
not  granted  to  all. 

Take  special  pains  to  show  children  the  use  of  in- 
dexes, and  indeed  of  all  sorts  of  reference  books;  they 
v/ill  soon  be  familiar  with  them  and  handle  them  like 
liifelong  students.  Gain  the  interest  of  teachers  in  this 
sort  of  work,  and  urge  them  to  bring  their  classes  and 
make  a  study  of  your  reference  books. 


l60  LIBRARY    PRIMEK 


CHAPTER   XLIX 
How  the  library  can  assist  the  school 

Channing  Folsoiti,  superintendent  of  schools,  Dover,  N.  H.,  in  Public  Li- 
braries, May,  i8g8 

We  have  to  consider  the  teacher,  the  school,  the 
pupil,  the  home.  The  teacher  is  likely  to  be  conserva- 
tive; to  have  fallen  into  ruts;  to  be  joined  to  his  idols; 
to  make  the  text-book  a  fetish;  to  teach  a  particular 
book  rather  than  the  subject,  so  that  the  initiative  in 
works  of  cooperation  must  come  from  the  library  side. 

If,  then,  the  library  is  equally  conservative,  if  the 
librarian  and  the  trustees  look  upon  their  books  as  too 
sacred  or  too  precious  to  be  handled  by  boys  and  girls, 
the  desired  cooperation  will  never  be  attained. 

In  beginning  the  desired  work  the  librarian  must 
have  a  well-defined  idea  of  what  is  to  be  done  and  how. 
There  should  be  a  well-defined  line  of  differentiation 
between  material  which  the  school  should  furnish  and 
that  properly  belonging  to  the  library  province. 

Of  course  all  text-books,  all  supplementary  reading 
matter  for  classroom  use,  all  ordinary  reference  books, 
should  be  furnished  by  the  school  authorities.  But  the 
more  extensive  and  the  more  expensive  dictionaries, 
gazetteers,  cyclopedias,  and  books  for  topical  refer- 
ence cannot  be  so  furnished.  If  they  are  to  be  used 
by  public  school  pupils,  the  library  must  supply  them, 
and  make  access  to  them  as  easy  and  as  pleasant  as 
possible. 

It  is  within  the  scope  of  the  library  to  improve  the 
taste  in  reading  among  the  pupils  of  the  schools  by 


HOW    THE    LIBRARY    CAN   ASSIST   THE    SCHOOL        l6l 

compiling  lists  of  the  best  books  upon  the  shelves,  and 
distributing  these  lists  to  the  pupils.  Such  lists  may  be 
classified  as  suitable  to  different  grades  or  ages,  or  by 
subjects,  as.  History  of  different  countries  or  epochs, 
Biography,  Travels,  Nature  work.  Fiction,  etc. 

The  possible  good  that  may  be  achieved  in  this  way 
is  immeasurable.  Although,  according  to  Dogberry, 
to  write  and  read  comes  by  nature,  we  must  remember 
that  a  taste  for  good  reading  is  not  innate  but  acquired, 
and  that  it  is  not  ordinarily  acquired  under  unfavorable 
conditions.  To  ensure  the  acquirement  of  this  taste  by 
the  child,  good  reading  must  be  made  as  accessible  as 
the  bad,  the  librarian  and  the  teacher  must  conspire  to 
put  good  reading,  interesting  reading,  elevating  read- 
ing in  his  way.  The  well-read  person  is  an  educated 
person.  The  taste  for  good  reading  once  acquired  is 
permanent.  There  is  little  danger  of  backsliding.  It 
grows  with  indulgence.  One  writer  says:  No  man  hav- 
ing once  tasted  good  food  or  good  wine,  or  even  good 
tobacco,  ever  voluntarily  turns  to  an  inferior  article. 
So  with  our  reading  habits;  a  taste  for  good  reading 
once  acquired  becomes  a  joy  forever. 

Teachers  do  not  realize,  as  does  the  librarian,  the 
low  tone  of  the  reading  taste  of  the  community.  When 
they  fully  understand  this,  together  with  the  fact  that 
the  acquirement  of  a  reading  habit  and  a  love  for  good 
literature  are  largely  dependent,  in  a  majority  of  cases, 
upon  the  public  school  training,  then  will  the  librarian 
have  to  bestir  himself  to  supply  the  demand  for  good 
books  made  by  the  school. 

The  habit  thus  formed,  the  taste  thus  acquired,  will 
be  of  infinitely  more  value  to  them  than  the  informa- 
tion gained.     The  latter  may  soon  be  forgotten,  the 


l62  LIBRARY   PRIMER 

former  will  stay  with  them  through  life;  but  the  influ- 
ence of  good  books  taken  into  the  homes  of  our  school 
children,  from  the  library  or  from  the  school,  does  not 
stop  with  the  children  themselves.  It  is  impossible 
that  such  books  should  go  into  even  an  ignorant,  un- 
couth, unlettered  family  without  exerting  an  elevating 
and  refining  influence. 

Thus  the  school  opens  to  the  library  the  broadest 
field  for  doing  the  greatest  good  to  the  greatest  num- 
ber, the  shortest  avenue  to  the  masses. 

But  the  consciousness  of  good  done  will  not  be  the 
only  reward  for  the  library.  The  reflex  action  upon 
the  library  of  this  intimate  connection  with  the  school 
will  be  highly  beneficial.  A  generation  will  grow  up 
trained  to  associate  the  library  and  the  school  as  in- 
strumentalities of  public  education,  demanding  alike  its 
moral  and  financial  support,  a  generation  that  in  town 
meetings  and  in  city  councils  will  advocate  generous 
appropriations  for  the  public  library  as  well  as  for  the 
public  school. 

Thus,  your  bread  cast  upon  the  waters  shall  return 
unto  you  after  many  days. 


children's  room  163 


CHAPTER   L 
Children's  room 

In  recent  years  a  number  of  the  larger  libraries  of 
the  country  have  given  up  a  portion  of  the  delivery 
room,  or  a  separate  room  entire,  to  the  use  of  chil- 
dren. All  of  these  special  arrangements  for  children 
thus  far  reported  have  been  successful.  The  plan  that 
seems  to  give  the  greatest  satisfaction,  is  to  place  in  a 
room  opening  from  the  delivery  room,  and  perhaps 
forming  in  effect  a  part  of  it,  the  books  in  the  library 
especially  adapted  to  the  use  of  young  people  up  to 
about  14  years  of  age.  Such  of  these  books  as  are  not 
fiction  are  classified  as  closely  as  are  the  books  in  the 
main  part  of  the  library,  and  are  arranged  by  their 
numbers  on  the  shelves. 

In  this  room  the  children  have  free  access  to  the 
shelves.  An  attendant  in  charge  gives  special  atten- 
tion to  the  wants  of  the  young  visitors,  and  as  far  as 
possible  gives  guidance  in  the  selection  and  instruction 
in  the  use  of  the  books.  A  collection  of  reference 
books  adapted  to  the  young  is  sometimes  added  to 
the  books  which  circulate. 

Even  in  the  very  small  library  a  corner  for  young 
people  will  usually  be  found  an  attractive  and  useful 
feature.  It  draws  the  young  folks  away  from  the  main 
collection,  where  their  presence  sometimes  proves  an 
annoyance.  It  does  not  at  all  prevent  the  use,  by  the 
younger  readers,  of  the  books  of  the  elders  if  they  wish 
to  use  them,  and  it  makes  much  easier  some  slight  su- 
pervision, at  least,  of  the  former's  reading. 


164  LIBRARY    PRIMER 


CHAPTER  LI 
Schoolroom  libraries 

"Schoolroom  library"  is  the  term  commonly  applied 
to  a  small  collection,  usually  about  50V.,  of  books  placed 
on  an  open  shelf  in  a  schoolroom.  In  a  good  many 
communities  these  libraries  have  been  purchased  and 
owned  by  the  board  of  education,  or  the  school  authori- 
ties, whoever  they  may  be.  If  they  are  the  property 
of  the  school  board  they  commonly  remain  in  the 
schoolroom  in  which  they  are  placed.  As  the  children 
in  that  room  are  changed  each  year,  and  as  the  collec- 
tions selected  for  the  different  grades  are  usually  dif- 
ferent, the  child  as  he  passes  through  the  rooms  comes 
into  close  contact  with  a  new  collection  each  year. 
There  are  some  advantages  in  having  the  ownership 
and  control  of  these  libraries  remain  entirely  in  the 
hands  of  the  school  board  and  the  superintendent. 
The  library,  however,  is  generally  the  place  in  the  com- 
munity in  which  is  to  be  found  the  greatest  amount 
of  information  about  books  in  general,  the  purchasing 
of  them,  the  proper  handling  of  them  in  fitting  them 
for  the  shelves,  cataloging,  binding,  etc.,  and  the  selec- 
tion of  those  best  adapted  to  young  people.  It  is  quite 
appropriate  therefore,  that,  as  is  in  many  cities  the 
case,  the  public  library  should  supply  the  schools  with 
these  schoolroom  libraries  from  its  own  shelves,  buy- 
ing therefor  special  books  and  often  many  copies  of  the 
same  book. 

If  schoolroom  libraries  do  come  from  the    public 


SCHOOLROOM    LIBRARIES  165 

library,  they  can  with  very  little  difificulty  be  changed 
several  times  during  the  school  year.  With  a  little 
care  on  the  part  of  the  librarian  and  teachers,  the  col- 
lection of  any  given  room  can  be  by  experience  and 
observation  better  and  better  adapted  to  the  children 
in  that  room  as  time  goes  on. 

There  are  many  ways  of  using  the  schoolroom  li- 
brary. The  books  forming  it  should  stand  on  open 
shelves  accessible  to  the  pupils  whenever  the  teacher 
gives  permission.  They  may  be  lent  to  the  children 
to  take  home.  Thus  used  they  often  lead  both  chil- 
dren and  parents  to  read  more  and  better  books  than 
before,  and  to  use  the  larger  collections  of  the  public 
library.  They  may  be  used  for  collateral  reading  in  the 
schoolroom  itself.  Some  of  them  maybe  read  aloud 
by  the  teacher.  They  may  serve  as  a  reference  library 
in  connection  with  topics  in  history,  geography,  sci- 
ence, and  other  subjects. 

Wherever  introduced  these  libraries  have  been  very 
successful. 


l66  LIBRARY   PRIMER 


CHAPTER   LII 
Children's  home  libraries 

In  a  few  cities  the  following  plan  for  increasing  the 
amount  of  good  reading  among  the  children  of  the 
poorer  and  less  educated  has  been  tried  with  great  suc- 
cess. It  is  especially  adapted  to  communities  which 
are  quite  distant  from  the  public  library  or  any  of  its 
branches.  It  is,  as  will  be  seen,  work  which  is  in  the 
spirit  of  the  college  settlement  plan.  The  "home  li- 
braries," if  they  do  no  more,  serve  as  a  bond  of  com- 
mon interest  between  the  children  and  their  parents, 
and  the  persons  who  wish  to  add  to  their  lives  some- 
thing of  interest  and  good  cheer.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
they  do  more  than  this.  They  lead  not  a  few  to  use 
the  library  proper,  and  they  give  to  at  least  a  few  boys 
and  girls  an  opportunity  for  self-education  such  as  no 
other  institution  yet  devised  can  offer. 

A  home  library  is  a  small  collection  of  books,  usu- 
ally only  15  or  20,  with  one  or  two  young  folks'  period- 
icals, put  up  in  a  box  with  locked  cover.  The  box  is 
so  made  that  it  will  serve  as  a  bookcase  and  can  be 
hung  on  a  wall  or  stood  on  the  floor  or  a  table.  In  the 
neighborhood  in  which  it  is  to  be  placed  a  group  of 
four  or  five  children  is  found — or  perhaps  a  father  or  a 
mother — who  will  agree  to  look  after  the  books.  To 
one  of  these,  called  the  librarian,  is  given  the  key  of  the 
box,  and  the  box  itself  is  placed  in  the  spot  selected; 
perhaps  a  hallway  or  a  living  room.  Under  a  few  very 
simple  regulations  the  librarian  lends  the  books  in  the 


CHILDREN'S    HOME    LIBRARIES  167 

home  library  to  the  young  people  of  the  neighborhood. 
If  the  experiment  is  successful  the  first  set  of  books  is 
changed  for  another,  and  the  work  continues.  Or  per- 
haps the  library  is  enlarged;  and  perhaps  even  grows 
into  a  permanent  institution. 


l68  LIBRARY    PRIMER 


CHAPTER  LIII 
Literary  clubs  and   libraries 

Evva  L.  Moore,  Withers'  public  library 
[Public  Libraries,  June,  1897] 

In  your  community  are  a  number  of  literary  clubs; 
if  there  are  not,  it  lies  within  the  power  of  the  librarian 
to  create  them:  an  evening  club  composed  of  men  and 
women;  a  ladies*  club  for  the  study  of  household  eco- 
nomics; a  young  ladies'  club  for  the  study  of  music  or 
some  literary  topic;  a  club  for  young  men  in  which  to 
study  sociology;  a  novel  club  for  the  study  of  the 
world's  great  fiction.  For  constitutions  suitable  for 
such  clubs,  account  of  administration,  organization, 
etc.,  consult  the  Extension  bulletin  no.  ii  of  the  uni- 
versity of  the  state  of  New  York,  and  Bulletin  no.  i, 
June,  1896,  of  the  Michigan  State  library,  and  List  of 
books  for  women  and  girls  and  their  clubs. 

The  study  club  is  one  of  the  best  means  of  extend- 
ing the  influence  of  your  library;  of  securing  the  at- 
tention and  hold  of  the  people.  It  awakens  thought, 
arouses  discussions,  puts  into  circulation  books  which 
otherwise  might  stand  idle  on  the  shelves. 

It  is  necessary  to  study  carefully  the  courses  of 
study  of  the  different  clubs,  and  to  do  this  the  pro- 
grams must  be  on  file  in  the  library.  If  they  are 
printed  (and  encourage  this)  so  much  the  better;  if  in 
manuscript  they  can  be  used  with  small  inconvenience. 

If  the  program  is  prepared  week  by  week  only, 
make  arrangements  to  have  it  sent  immediately  to  the 
library;  also  watch  your  local  paper  for  notices. 


LITERARY    CLUBS    AND    LIBRARIES  169 

No  doubt  the  officers  of  the  various  clubs  come  to 
you  for  suggestions  when  arranging  the  Course  of  study 
for  the  year,  and  to  inquire  as  to  the  resources  of  the 
library  on  the  subject  in  hand,  in  order  that  every  effort 
may  be  made  to  fill  the  gaps  in  the  library  collection. 
When  a  request  of  this  kind  comes,  suggestions  and 
assistance  may  be  obtained  from  the  two  bulletins  men- 
tioned above,  as,  in  addition  to  information  along  the 
lines  of  organization,  they  contain  outlines  of  study. 

Harper's  bazaar  devotes  a  page  each  week  to  club 
women  and  club  work.  University-extension  bulletins 
and  courses  of  study  offer  numerous  suggestions. 

The  literary  clubs  of  the  smaller  towns  without  li- 
braries, within  a  radius  of  a  few  miles  of  your  own 
small  town,  copying  after  their  more  pretentious  sister 
along  literary  lines,  should  have  your  encouragement 
and  assistance.  Lend  all  the  books  that  you  can  spare 
on  as  easy  terms  as  are  compatible  with  your  rules;  in 
short,  institute  traveling  libraries  on  a  small  scale. 


I/O  LIBRARY    PRIMER 


CHAPTER   LIV 
Museums,  lectures,  etc. 

A  museum  in  connection  with  the  library,  either 
historical  or  scientific,  or  an  art  gallery,  may  be  made 
a  source  of  attraction,  and  of  much  educational  value. 
The  collecting  of  antiquities,  or  natural  history  speci- 
mens, or  rare  bindings,  or  ancient  b6oks  or  manu- 
scripts, is  generally  taken  up  by  societies  organized  for 
such  purposes.  The  library  should  try  to  bring  these 
collections  into  such  relations  with  itself  as  to  add  to 
its  own  attractiveness,  and  to  make  more  interesting 
and  instructive  the  collections. 

A  library  can  often  very  happily  advertise  itself, 
and  encourage  the  use  of  its  books,  by  establishing  a 
series  of  lectures.  Entertainments,  somewhat  of  the 
nature  of  receptions,  or  exhibits  of  the  library's  treas- 
ures in  the  library  itself,  will  sometimes  add  to  the  in- 
stitution's popularity,  and  will  always  afford  a  good 
excuse  for  sending  to  leading  people  in  the  community 
a  note  reminding  them  of  the  library's  existence  and 
perhaps  of  its  needs. 


RULES  FOR  THE  CARE  Otf    PHOTOGRAPHS     1 71 


CHAPTER  LV 
Rules  for  the  care  of  photographs 

Henry  W.  Kent,  Slater  museum,  Norwich,  Conn. 
I .     Accessioning 

The  accession  book  should  be  ruled  in  columns  under 
the  following  headings: 

A,  Accession  number;  B,  Author;  C,  Title;  D,  Gal- 
lery; E,  Photographer  and  place  of  publication;  F, 
Date  of  publication;  G,  Photographer's  number;  H, 
Process;  I,  Size  of  print;  J,  Size  of  mount;  K,  Cost;  L, 
Cost  of  mounting;  M,  Remarks. 

A  Accession  number.  The  consecutive  Museum  num- 
ber to  be  either  written  or  printed.  This  column 
should  be  used  to  give  the  date  of  accession. 

B  Author.  For  photographs  of  paintings  give  one 
important  name. 

For  photographs  of  sculpture  give  sculptor's  name, 
where  known. 

For  photographs  of  architecture  give  name  of  city- 
followed  by  country  in  parentheses.     London  (Eng.) 

C  Title.  Forphotographsof  painting  and  sculpture 
use  short,  catch  title,  bringing,  where  possible,  the  im- 
portant name  first. 

For  photographs  of  architecture,  make  first  word  a 
word  descriptive  of  the  kind  of  building:  Temple  of 
Mars;  Cathedral  of  Notre  Dame;  Basilica  of  S.  Paolo. 

D  Gallery.  This  column  is  used  for  sculpture  and 
painting  only.  Enter  official  name  of  gallery  under 
name  of  city,  followed  by  country  in  parentheses,  and 


172  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

separated  by  hyphen:   London  (Eng.)-National  Gal- 
lery; Paris  (France)-Louvre. 

E  Photographer  and  place  of  publication.  Use  the  last 
name  of  publisher,  followed  by  name  of  city  abbrevi- 
ated.    Alinari,  Fio.;  Braun,  Pa.;  Hanfstaengl,  Miin. 

F  Date.  The  high  grade  photographs  have  the  date 
of  their  publication  on  the  mount. 

G    Publisher's  number.    To  be  found  on  all  prints. 

H  Process.  State  whether  silver  print,  platinotype, 
carbon  (give  color  b.  for  black,  br.  for  brown,  g.  for 
gray),  autotype,  collotype,  etc. 

I  Size  of  print.  Give  size  in  centimeters,  giving  width 
first. 

J    Size  of  mount.    Use  the  following  notation: 

F  for  size  measuring  22x28  inches,  and  upwards. 

Q  for  size  measuring  18x22  inches  up  to  22x28. 

O  for  size  measuring  14x18  inches  up  to  18x22. 

D  for  all  sizes  under  O. 

K  Cost.  Give  cost  of  imported  prints  in  foreign 
money;  give  total  of  bill  in  American  money. 

L     Cost  of  mounting. 

M  Remarks.  This  column  will  be  found  useful  for 
date  of  remounting  prints. 

Enter  all  prints  in  the  order  of  the  publisher's  bill. 

Write  the  accession  number  on  the  back  of  mount 
(see  under  Labeling)  and  on  author  card. 
II.     Card  cataloging 

Photographs  of  paintings  and  sculpture  should  be 
entered  under  the  following  heads:  A,  Author,  B,  Title, 
C,  Gallery,  D,  School  of  painter  or  sculptor. 

Use  Library  Bureau  card,  no.  33r. 

A  Author  card.  This  should  show,  a,  author's  name, 
dates  of  birth  and  death,  and  school;  b,  Title  of  work; 


RULES  FOR  THE  CARE  OF  PHOTOGRAPHS 


173 


c,  Kind  of  work;  d,  Gallery;  e,  Imprint;  f,  Accession 
number;  g,  Classification  or  storage  number. 

Aa  Enter  author  on  first  blue  line  between  red  lines, 
under  his  best  known  name,  even  if  a  nickname,  giving 
full  name  with  nicknames  and  their  translations  after  it, 


C 


10 


rninnejl.  ffTinrmn  P^rh;)rp.lli )   r.A/Url 


1411 '1511. 


O 


Painting  card;  author,  with  full  name  to  precede  list  of  words. 

in  parentheses.  Give  dates  of  birth  and  death  in  paren- 
theses, followed  by  name  of  the  school  to  which  the 
artist  belonged.  Make  cross-references  from  all  forms 
under  which  the  author  might  be  looked  for. 

(It  will  be  found  convenient  to  give  all  this  data  on  one  card, 
to  precede  the  list  of  the  artist's  works,  using  on  all  following 
cards  the  first,  or  well-known  name,  only.)    . 

Ab    Write  the  title  on  second  blue  line,  at  the  right 
of  red  lines.     Make  it  as  brief  as  possible,  using  the 


^ 


(i 


mrgions, 


G43h 


0'^F"'3milL[ 


E^^tl-pJQturt, 


ye.D\QtClhL 


l^iik^ 


loviSnpJIi 


tJiLjif^inJQt.  353. 


Sihcr,  2.JXJS""' 


O- 


Painting  card;  author,  showing  title  of  work,  kind  of  work,  gallery,  etc. 


74 


LIBRARY    PRIMER 


important  name  in  it,  first.  Christ,  Baptism  of;  Christ, 
Betrayal  of;  Virgin  Mary,  Coronation  of;  St  John,  Birth 
of;  St  Peter,  Martyrdom  of. 

Ac  Indicate  after  the  title  whether  it  is  an  easel- 
picture,  fresco,  statue,  relief,  or  a  part  of  a  larger  work. 

Ad  Give  on  fourth  blue  line,  at  left  of  red  lines,  the 
ofificial  name  of  gallery,  preceded  by  city,  with  country 
in  parentheses.     London  (Eng.)-National  Gallery. 

Ae  Give  the  imprint  on  fifth  blue  line,  beginning  at 
the  right  of  red  lines:  name  of  photographer,  place  of 
publication,  date,  number  of  print,  process,  size  of  print 
in  cm.,  bottom  by  height. 

B  Title  card.  This  card  should  show,  a,  Title,  b, 
Author. 


riolu  Fdnni 


Je.e. 


5'-'nf);)rnH 


Florence  (//jJ-F^bj^flUfFig 


Q-pT^sh 


^Tinr^ionfi.ll. 


^^^'^JQ-il- 


Venice  r/itJ-Pgl3j3oGiPVjnell, 


Florence  (/AJ-Pjb^.L(Ffi; 


E 


O 


Painting  card;  title,  with  different  authors  and  galleries. 


Ba  Give  on  first  blue  line,  beginning  at  the  left  of 
red  lines,  a  full  title,  but  as  in  Ab  make  the  important 
name  or  word  the  first  word.  Christ,  Baptism  of; 
Christ,  Betrayal  of;  St  John,  Birth  of;  Portrait  of  Pope 
Julius. 

Bb  Give  on  second  blue  line,  between  red  lines,  the 
one  well  known  or  important  author's  name;  the  first 
one  used  in  Aa. 


RULE§  FOR  THE  CARE  OF  PHOTOGRAPHS 


175 


The  title  card  becomes  in  most  cases  a  series  card, 
since  the  title  of  an  often-represented  subject  attracts 
to  itself  many  names  of  artists.  In  such  cases  arrange 
the  authors*  names  alphabetically,  in  columns,  and 
against  them  write  the  names  of  the  galleries  where 
the  works  are  to  be  found.  Give  class  and  author  num- 
ber in  blue  ink  at  the  left. 

C  Gallery  card.  This  card  is  a  series  card,  and 
should  show,  a,  name  of  gallery;  b,  names  of  the  art- 
ists and  their  works  in  the  gallery. 

Ca  Give  official  name  of  gallery  preceded  by  the 
name  of  the  city  where  it  is  located,  with  country  in 
parentheses. 

Cb  Enter  alphabetically,  names  of  authors,  with 
the  title  of  their  works,  one  author  to  a  line.  Give  at 
the  left,  classification  numbers  in  blue  ink. 


V^ 


^t(ltilu)-  h\;\nci  ^^\^\iAr\?\\\ 


Ifl^-LAIAJ^ 


Q,'G4.?h 


i'Tinrpi'nnC.JL 


o 


rirtlij  fr^mili 


Painting  card;  gallery,  with  authors  and  titles  of  works. 


D  School  card.  This  should  show  under  the  names 
American,  English,  French,  German,  Italian-Florentine, 
Italian- Venetian,   Italian -Umbrian,    Italian-Parmesan, 


176 


LIBRARY    PRIMER 


Spanish,  etc.,  all  the  artists  of  the  school  arranged 
alphabetically,  with  the  number  of  their  works  written 
in,  in  pencil. 


sa 


nnl 


It4li^a:ii/m£liin. 


Q-G1.% 


£L 


SIL 


^M^ 


Veronfi.sp. 


O 


Painting  card:  school,  all  authors  of  school  arranged  alphabetically  with 
number  of  works  written  in  pencil. 


Photographs  of  Architecture  should  be  cataloged 
according  to  the  foregoing  rules,  except  in  the  follow- 
ing cases: 

Author  card.  For  author,  give  the  name  of  the  city 
where  the  building  or  detail  is  found,  followed  by  the 
country  in  parentheses. 

For  title  make  the  first  word  descriptive  of  the 
kind  of  building,  and  after  the  name  of  the  building 
give  the  point  from  which  the  view  was  taken,  affixed 
to  the  words  interior  or  exterior:  Temple  of  Zeus, 
Exterior  from  the  east.  Cathedral  of  Notre  Dame, 
Interior  of  nave  looking  east. 

Instead  of  gallery,  give  style  of  building,  using  words 
Egyptian,  Assyrian,  Greek,  Roman,  Byzantine,  Roman- 
esque, Gothic,  Renaissance,  Modern,  etc.,  followed  by 
adjective  indicating  country. 

Imprint  the  same. 


RULES  FOR  THE  CARE  OF  PHOTOGRAPHS     1 77 

Gallery  card  will  not  be  needed. 


0 

Poi 

'\p.r9>  (Fnncp.). 

P75 

Cj^htdr^l. 

Inl-crioroP  NA\lt   looll-  1 

inn  FrlsK                           '1 

Nnmic 

^ 

Roch 

«> 

R.6hpttP^r!s    .UP 

.r//u^r    P  9X3.9'^"^- 

*> — ^ 

A 

Architecture  card;  author,  showing  place,  kind  of  building,  and  style. 

For  school  card  use  S  style  card. 

Style  card.  This  should  show  all  photog^raphs  ar- 
ranged by  cities,  under  styles,  under  general  term  Ar- 
chitecture. 

Architecture,  Gothic -Italian. 
Architecture,  Gothic— Spanish. 
Architecture,  Gothic — English,  perpendicular. 
Architecture,  Gothic— English,  pointed. 


Arr' 

TiFe.cKjre.  ■ 

■  Qtamlc                         Vccnc^. 

1 

AKbeuviilfe 

Ch.flf5.Wulfrjn/J 

A  tYi\e.f).^ 

C.s^pArA. 

Aaxerrp.                                                                              J 

n                      1 

5 

r _| 

Architecture  card;  style,  showing  place,  etc. 

The  cards  for  the  three  divisions,  architecture, 
painting,  and  sculpture,  should  be  kept  in  separate 
alphabets. 


178  LIBRARY    PRIMER 

III.    Classification 

Arrange  the  photographs  of  sculpture  and  paint- 
ing alphabetically  by  authors  where  known;  where  not 
known,  by  subjects  under  the  various  sizes. 

Arrange  the  photographs  of  architecture  alphabet- 
ically by  cities,  under  the  sizes. 

Indicate  the  arrangement  on  cards  by  two  numbers, 
in  blue  ink:  the  Classification  number  and  the  Author 
number. 

Classification  number.  This  is  indicated  by  the  letters 
F,  Q,  O,  D. 

Author  number.  Use  the  C:  A.  Cutter  Letter  alpha- 
betic-order table  for  book  authors,  and  add  to  the 
number  so  gained  the  first  one  or  two  letters  (as  the 
number  of  prints  may  require)  of  the  title  of  the  print; 
or  the  numerals  i,  2,  and  3  may  be  used. 

Write  these  two  numbers  in  blue  ink  on  the  cards, 
as  follows: 

Author  card.  Class  number  on  the  first  line  of 
upper  left-hand  corner;  author  number  below  it. 

On  other  cards.  Write  at  the  left  of  first  red  line 
the  two  numbers  on  one  line  separated  by  a  hyphen. 

IV.     Labeling 

Give  author's  name  in  full,  with  dates,  in  parenthe- 
ses, and  school,  beginning  directly  under  left-hand 
corner  of  print. 

Give  title,  same  as  on  title  card,  only  reversing  the 
form,  beginning  under  the  middle  of  print  and  running 
out  to  the  right-hand  corner. 

Some  collections  have  more  or  less  descriptive 
matter  on  the  mount,  but  this  is  to  be  discouraged. 


RULES  FOR  THE  CARE  OF  PHOTOGRAPHS 


179 


Give  the  Gallery  or  Style  at  lower  left-hand  corner 
of  mount  I  inch  from  either  edge.  Use  waterproof  or 
India  ink  in  all  cases. 


PR.ota^(4)?x. 


GtorgiontJI  il477-f5ll,-Vcnttiaa  Holy  Familu. 


Venice.  (It-j  Palazzo  Giovanelli 


\ 


\. 


Showing  proper  method  of  entering  descriptive  matter  on  mounted 
photographs. 


Stamp  name  of  collection  with  rubber  stamp  on 
back  of  mount  in  upper  left-hand  corner,  ij4  inches 
from  upper  and  side  edges. 

The  stamp  should  give  full  name  and  place  of 
museum  or  library,  leaving  room  above  for  class  and 
author  number,  and  below  for  accession  number. 


Class Author 

Slater  Memorial  Museum 

Norwich,  Conn. 
No. 


iBo  LIBRARY    PRIMER 


V.     Storage 


Store  sizes  Q,  O,  and  D,  in  drawers  of  a  cabinet, 
which  may  be  easily  removed  to  table,  or  in  pigeon- 
holes; stand  the  mounts  on  long  edges,  with  backs  to 
the  front,  so  that  classification  and  author  numbers  may 
be  easily  seen  in  turning  them  over. 

Store  size  F  in  drawers,  but  lying  flat.  These 
should  be  taken  out  of  the  drawer  and  laid  on  a  table 
when  being  handled.  The  drawers  for  the  smaller 
sizes  should  be  box-shaped,  with  sides  cut  down  some- 
what to  allow  the  prints  to  be  easily  turned.  Those 
for  the  large  size  should  have  no  front,  but  the  case 
containing  them  should  have  doors. 

Note.  —  Be  very  careful  in  handling  photographs  never  to 
rub  or  pull  one  over  another;  always  turn  them  from  side  to  side, 
like  the  leaves  of  a  book. 


INDEX. 


Accession  book,  33,  77;  for  pho- 
tographs, 171;  sample  page, 
76. 

Accession  number  for  photo- 
graphs,i7i ;  in  accession  book, 
76-77;  on  shelf  list,  93;  on  cat- 
alog cards,  95. 

Accessioning  photographs,  171- 
172. 

Additions,  lists  of,  94,  114. 

Advertising  a  library,  lo-ii,  132, 
158,  170. 

Advice  to  a  librarian,  126-127. 

Age  limit  for  borrowers,  157. 

Agents,  see  Book  dealers. 

Agreement  blanks,  33,  119-121. 

Alphabetical  arrangement,  dic- 
tionary catalog,  97,  102;  for 
photographs,  177-178. 

Alphabets,  69;  specimen  page, 
71. 

Amendments  to  rules  of  library 
board,  145. 

American  catalog  of  books,  30. 

A.  L.  A.  catalog,  30. 

American  library  association, 
fee,  152;  members,  152-153; 
objects,  152. 

Amherst  summer  school  library 
class,  155. 

Ancient  manuscripts,  collec- 
tions, 170. 

Annual  literary  index,  55. 

Annual  report,  146. 

Antiquities,  collections,  170. 

Appointment  of  librarian,  20, 
23,  25. 

Appointment  of  library  assist- 
ants, 18. 

Appointment  of  trustees,  148. 

Apprentice  classes,  154. 

Architecture  card,  author,  177; 
style,  177;  title,  176. 


Art  entertainments,  129. 

Art  galleries,  170. 

Assistant  librarian,  duties  of, 
145. 

Associations,  see  Library  asso- 
ciations. 

Author  card;  95;  for  architect- 
ure, 176-177;  for  painting  and 
sculpture,  172-174. 

Author  catalog,  t)5-96. 

Author-list,  96,  115. 

Author-number  explained,  91; 
for  photographs,  178:  on  shelf 
list,  93. 

Author  table,  j<?<?  Cutler  author 
table. 

Author's  name,  in  accession 
book,  'j']\  in  catalog,  94;  in 
shelf  list,93;  onorderslip,64. 

Baker,  C.  A.,  Reference  books 
for  a  small  library,  46-52. 

Ballard's  klips,  109. 

Beginning  work,  things  needed 
in,  30-34. 

Beginnings  of  the  library,  9-10. 

Best  books  (Sonnenschein),  31. 

Bills,  checking,  64,  loi. 

Binders  for  magazines,  58-59. 

Bindery-book,  103. 

Bindery  number,  103,  105. 

Bindery  schedule,  105-106. 

Binding,  63,  103-106;  materi- 
als, 103-104;  cloth,  103-104; 
leather,  103, 105;  sewing,  103- 
104;  backs,  103-104;  joints, 
103-104;  lettering,  105-106; 
titles  and  indexes,  106;  adver- 
tisements, ro6;  periodicals, 
105;  folios,  104-105;  newspa- 
pers, 104;  fiction,  104;  juve- 
niles, 104;  rules  for,  106. 

Biography,  classification  of,  79. 


INDEX 


Blanks,  agreement,  33,  119-121; 
order  slip,  63-64;  request,  45, 
65. 

Board,  see  Trustees. 

Book-buying,  see  Buying  books. 

Book  committee,  142. 

Book  cards,  33,  116-117-118- 
119;  see  also  Book  slip. 

Book  dealers,  63,  66-67-68. 

Book-lists,  see  Lists. 

Book  news  (monthly),  32. 

Book-numbers,  91. 

Book-plates,  loo-ioi. 

Book-pockets,  33,  loo-ioi,  116- 
117-118-119. 

Book-reviews,  32,  loi. 

Book-slip,  100,  102;  see  also  Book 
card. 

Book  supports,  73. 

Books,  as  useful  tools,  134;  for 
girls  and  women  and  their 
clubs  (lies),  32;  needed  in 
beginning  work,  30-32;  over- 
due, 118;  reference,  see  Ref- 
erence books;  renewal  of, 
118;  selection  of,  see  Selec- 
tion of  books. 

Bookcases,  26-27;  steel,  28; 
wooden,  28. 

Borrowers,  age  limit,  157;  cards 
for,  33,  116-117,119-120,157- 
158;  index  to,  121;  informa- 
tion for,  137;  numbers  for, 
117-118,  121;  register  of,  33, 
118, 121 ;  responsibility  of,  120, 

138. 

Buildings  and  grounds  com- 
mittee, 142. 

Buildings,  library;  see  Library 
buildings. 

Bulletins,  94,  102,  114,  130;  see 
also  Lists. 

Buying  books,  18,  63-68;  order- 
ing, 64,  (il\  ag§nts,  63,  66-67- 
68;  price,  65-66-67-68;  dis- 
counts, 63, 65-66-67;  editions, 
63,  65-66-67;  binding,  type, 
quality  of  paper,  63;  complete 
sets,  66;   series,  66;   second- 


hand books,  66,  68;  fiction, 
66;  for  children,  66-67;  new 
books,  68;  when  to  buy,  68; 
see  also  Selection  of  books. 

Call-number,  defined,  93;  in 
book,  100,  102;  on  book-slip, 
100,  102,  116;  on  pocket,  100, 
102, 116;  on  label, 99-100, 102; 
in  accession  book,  93,  102; 
on  shelf- list,  93;  on  catalog- 
cards,  95,  97;  in  charging  sys- 
tem, 117. 

Capitalization,  95. 

Card  catalog  rules,  30,  95-97; 
for  photographs,  172-177. 

Card  pocket,  see  Book  pocket. 

Care  of  books,  brief  rules  for, 
75;  dusting  books,  74;  hand- 
ling books,  74,  loo-ioi ;  cover- 
ing books,  75;  cutting  leaves, 
74,  loi ;  gas,  heat,  damp,  74. 

Carter's  ink,  34,  69. 

Cases,  see  Bookcases;  Catalog 
cases. 

Catalog,  arrangement  of,  102; 
author,  95-96;  dictionary,  97; 
duplicate,  95;  on  cards,  94; 
printed,  94,  115;  of  A.  L.  A. 
library,  30;  subject  headings 
for,  96-98;  trays  for  holding, 
98. 

Catalog  cards,  33,  94-98,  102. 

Catalog  case,  33,  98. 

Catalog  rules,  30,  94-98. 

Cataloging  books,  94-98. 

Cataloging  photographs,  172- 
177. 

Chairs,  27-28. 

Change  of  residence,  138. 

Charging  system  explained, 
117. 

Check  list  of  public  documents, 
III. 

Checking  bills,  64,  loi. 

Checking  the  library,  113. 

Children's  books,  see  Juvenile 
books. 

Children's  cards,  157. 


INDEX 


Children's  home  libraries,  i66- 

167. 
Children's  privileges,  157. 
Children's  rooms,  157,  163. 
Circulating    department,     122, 

137. 

Class  number,  decimal,  81;  ex- 
pansive, 85;  explained,  79;  for 
photographs,  1 78 ;  in  accession 
book,  T]\  on  shelf  list,  93;  in 
catalog,  94. 

Classification,  defined,  78;  dec- 
imal, 79, 81-83;  expansive,  79, 
84-90;  of  photographs,  178; 
how  to  classify,  79-80;  biog- 
raphy, 79;  fiction,  79;  history 
and  travel,  79;  juvenile  books, 
79;  in  the  catalog,  78;  on  the 
shelves,  78-79. 

Classification  scheme,  34. 

Classified  reading  (Lawrence), 

32. 

Cleveland  summer  school  of  li- 
brary science,  155. 

Cloth  bindings,  103-104. 

Club  women,  169. 

Club  work,  169. 

Clubs,  i3o;  constitutions  for, 
168;  organization  of,  168;  pro- 
grams, 168;  see  also  Library 
clubs,  literary  clubs,  musical 
clubs. 

Cole  size  card,  33,  95. 

Collating  books,  74,  loi. 

Commissions,  free  library,  149- 
150,  153. 

Community  and  the  library,  10, 
12. 

Complete  sets,  66. 

Conversation  in  the  library,  122, 

139- 
Co-operation  of  teachers,  157- 

159,  160-162. 
Copyright     date     on     catalog 

cards,  95. 
Covers  for  books,  75. 
Crocker  book  support,  73. 
Cross-reference  cards,  98. 
Cumulative  index,  55. 


Cutter's  author  table,  34, 91;  ex- 
pansive classification,  79,  84- 
90;  rules  for  a  dictionary  cat- 
alog, 31. 

Date,  copyright,  on  catalog 
cards,  95. 

Date  in  charging  system,  117, 
118,119;  of  publication,  in  ac- 
cession book,  ']']\  on  catalog 
cards,  95;  on  order  slip,  64. 

Daters,  34,  117. 

Dating  slip,  117. 

Dealers,  see  Book  dealers. 

Decimal  classification,  79,  81- 

83- 

Delivery  room,  122. 

Dennison's  labels,  34. 

Denver  public  library  hand- 
book, 31. 

Depository  libraries,  iio-iii. 

Dewey,  or  Decimal  system  of 
classification,  79,  81-83. 

Dial  (semi-monthly),  32. 

Dictionaries,  aid  in  reference 
work,  53. 

Dictionary  catalog.  Cutter's 
rules  for,  31;  value  of,  114; 
defined,  97. 

Discarded  books,  113. 

Discounts,  63,  65-66-^7. 

Disjoined  handwriting,  70-71. 

Drexel  institute  library  school, 

155- 

Duplicate  catalog,  95. 

Duplicates  for  school  use,  149. 

Dusting  books,  74. 

Duties  of  a  librarian,  126-127, 
144;  of  trustees,  18. 

Editions,  63,  65-66-67. 

Education  through  libraries,  13, 
124-125, 133,  156,  160-162,  166, 
170;  see  also  Influence  of  the 
library. 

Embossing  stamps,  99. 

Employes,  appointment  of,  18, 
144;  salaries  of,  144;  suspen- 
sion of,  144. 

English  catalog,  30. 

Engravings,  129. 


[NDEX 


Entertainments,  see  Library  en- 
tertainments. 

Essentials  of  good  binding  (Mc- 
Namee),  104-106. 

Exhibits,  170. 

Expansive  classification  (Cut- 
ter), 79,  84-90. 

Expenditures,  143. 

Expiration  of  privileges,  121. 

Faxon,  F.  W.,  Use  of  periodi- 
cals in  reference  work,  54-56. 

Fiction,  author-numbers  for,  91; 
binding  for,  104;  cataloging, 
96;  cheap  editions  of,  66; 
classification  of,  79;  price  per 
volume,  d"]',  selecting,  41-42. 

Figures,  71-72. 

Finance  committee,  142. 

Fine  slip,  121. 

Fines,  118,  138. 

Five  thousand  books,  compiled 
for  the  Ladies'  home  journal, 

31- 

Fixtures  for  libraries,  26-27-28. 

Fletcher,  W.  L,  Libraries  and 
recreation,  133;  public  libra- 
ries in  America,  31. 

Folios,  binding  for,  104-105. 

Folsom,  Channing,  how  the  li- 
brary can  assist  the  school, 
160-162. 

Forfeiture   of    privileges,    138- 

139- 
Free  library  commissions,  149- 

150. 
Function  of  the  library,  12,  15- 

16,  124-125,  133,  149- 
Furniture  for  libraries,  27-28- 

29. 
Gallery  card,  for  painting  and 

sculpture,  175. 
Garfield,  J.  R.,  village  library 

successfully    managed,    135- 

136. 
Gift  book,  loi;  plates,  loo-ioi. 
Gifts,  132;  acknowledgment  of, 

45,  n.  loi,  145. 
Glue,  106. 
Guarantor,  120,  157. 


Handwriting,  brief  rules  for,  69- 
72. 

Hasse,  A.  R.,  public  documents, 
110-112. 

Henderson,  M.  R.,  Librarian  as 
host,  128-130. 

Higgins'  ink,  34,  69;  photo 
mounter,  34. 

Hints  to  small  libraries  (Plum- 
mer),  31. 

History  and  travel,  classifica- 
tion of,  79. 

Home  libraries,  166-167. 

Hopkins,  J.  A.,  The  trained  li- 
brarian in  a  small  library,  23- 
24. 

How  the  library  can  assist  the 
school  (Folsom),  160-162. 

lies,  George,  Books  for  girls 
and  women  and  their  clubs, 
32. 

Imprint,  for  photographs,  174, 
176;  on  catalog  cards,  95. 

Index,  annual  literary,  55;  cum- 
ulative, 55;  monthly  cumula- 
tive book,  33;  Poole's,  55;  rel- 
ative, 81 ;  to  borrowers,  121. 

Indexes,  their  use  taught,  159; 
to  periodicals,  55. 

Influence  of  the  library,  12;  see 
also  Education  through  libra- 
ries. 

Information  for  borrowers,  137. 

Ink,  34,  69;  for  photograph  la- 
bels, 179;  pads,  34,  99. 

Inquiries,  how  to  answer,  53. 

Inventory  taking,  113. 

Joined  handwriting,  70-71. 

Juvenile  books,  binding  for, 
104;  classification  of,  79;  peri- 
odicals, 58;  price  per  volume, 
67;  selecting,  41,  66. 

Kent,  H.  W.,  Rules  for  the  care 
of  photographs,  171-180. 

Labeling  photographs,  178-179. 

Labels  for  backs  of  books,  99- 
100,  102;  gummed,  34;  ink  for, 
34,  69;  ink  for  photograph, 
179;  varnishing,  100,  102. 


INDEX 


Law,  library,  9. 

Lawrence,  L,  Classified  read- 
ing, 32. 

Leather  for  bindings,  103,  105. 

Lectures,  129,  149,  170. 

Le|[islation,  see  Library  legisla- 
tion. 

Librarian,  advice  to  a,  126-127; 
and  trustees,  18-19;  annual 
report  of,  145-146;  appoint- 
ment, of,  20,  23,  25;  as  a  host 
(Henderson),  128,  130;  duties 
of  a,  144;  monthly  report  of, 
145;  qualifications  of,  20-22, 
123,  154;  the  trained  (Hop- 
kins), 23-24. 

Libraries,  establishment  and 
maintenance  of,  147;  function 
of,  12,  15-16, 124-125, 133,  148; 
management  of,  15,  19,  148. 

Libraries  and  communities,  10, 
12. 

Libraries  and  clubs,  168-169. 

Libraries  and  education,  13, 
124-125,  133. 

Libraries  and  politics,  148. 

Libraries  and  the  public,  15, 
122,  124-125. 

Libraries  and  recreation 
(Fletcher),  133. 

Libraries  and  schools,  13,  157- 
159,  160-162. 

Library  advertising,  see  Adver- 
tising a  library. 

Library  assistants,  appointment 
of.  18. 

Library  associations,  152-153. 

Library  beginnings,  9-10. 

Library  board,  see  Trustees. 

Library  buildings  and  the  com- 
munity, 26. 

Library  buildings,  architecture, 
25-26;  convenience,  26;  deco- 
ration, 26;  exterior,  25-26;  fix- 
tures, 26-27-28;  furniture,  27- 
28-29;  interior,  26-27;  parti- 
tions, 27;  requirements,  25; 
stairs,  27;  windows,  26. 

L.  B.  book  support,  73. 


L.  B.  pamphlet  case,  108. 

L.  B.  steel  stacks,  37. 

Library  Bureau,  relation  to  li- 
braries (Meleney),  35-38;  cat- 
alog of,  29,  31,  35-36;  organi- 
zation of,  35;  publications  of, 
36,  38;  cabinet  works  of,  37; 
card  factory  of,  37;  consulta- 
tion department,  35,  38;  em- 
ployment department,  35; 
supply  department,  36. 

Library  clubs,  153. 

Library  entertainments,  128- 
130,  170. 

Library  journal  (monthly),  32. 

Library  law,  9;  essentials  of  a 
good,  151;  outline  of  a  good, 
147;  see  also  Library  legisla- 
tion. 

Library  league,  75, 

Library  literature,  30-33,  36. 

Library  legislation  (Patten), 
147;  reference  list  on,  150;  see 
also  Library  law. 

Library  patrons,  131. 

Library  policy,  15-16. 

Library  rooms,  25-26-27. 

Library  school  rules,  30. 

Library  schools  and  training 
classes,  aim  and  scope  of,  154. 

Library  schools  and  training 
classes,  list  of,  155. 

Light  in  libraries,  26. 

List,  of  books  for  girls  and 
women  (lies),  32, 168;  of  books 
needed  in  beginning  work, 
30-32;  of  periodicals  for  a 
small  library,  61-62;  of  peri- 
odicals needed  in  beginning 
work,  32-33;  of  reference 
books,  46-52;  of  things  needed 
in  beginning  work,  33-34;  of 
things  to  be  done  to  prepare 
books  for  shelves,  101-102. 

Lists,  of  additions,  114;  for  ref- 
erence, 114-115,  157,  161;  for 
schools,  115,  157,  161;  see  aha 
Bulletins. 


INDEX 


Literary  clubs  and  libraries 
(Moore),  168-169. 

Literature,  its  use,  134, 

Literature,  library,  see  Library 
literature. 

Literature  (weekly),  32. 

Loan  department,  122,  133. 

Local  history,  books  on,  44. 

Local  history  pamphlets,  108. 

LosAngeles  public  library  train- 
ing class,  155. 

Lost  cards,  138. 

McNamee,  J.  H.  H.,  Essentials 
of  good  binding,  104-107. 

Magazine  binder,  58. 

Magazine  record,  in  blank  book, 
60;  on  cards,  60. 

Management  of  the  library,  15, 
19,  148. 

Manuscripts,  see  Ancient  manu- 
scripts. 

Marking  books,  99,  loi. 

Meeting  of  board  of  trustees, 
140. 

Meleney,  G.  B.,  Relation  of  the 
Library  Bureau  to  libraries, 

,  35-38. 

Men's  and  Women's  clubs,  168. 

Mending,  see  Repair. 

Missing  books,  113. 

Monthly  cumulative  book  in- 
dex, 33. 

Moore,  E.  L.,  Literary  clubs 
and  libraries,  168-169. 

Morocco  for  bindings,  105. 

Mucilage,  106. 

Museums,  149,  170. 

Musical  clubs,  129,  168. 

Musical  entertainments,  129. 

Nation  (weekly),  32. 

National  educational  associa- 
tion, 156. 

Natural  history  collections,  170. 

New  books,  68. 

New  York  state  library  com- 
mission, 150. 

New  York  state  library  school, 

New  York  Times,  33. 


Newspaper  lists,  94,  115. 

Newspapers,  binding  for,  104; 
files  and  racks  for,  59;  for  the 
reading  room,  57. 

Non-depository  libraries,  no. 

Non-residents,  139. 

Novel  clubs,  168. 

Officers  of  board  of  trustees,  18. 

Open  shelves,  15,  25,  122,  124- 
125,  163. 

Order  list,  loi. 

Order  sheet,  64,  67. 

Order  slip,  63-64,  loi. 

Overdue  books,  118,  138. 

Overdue  notice,  120. 

Ownership,  marks  of,  99,  loi. 

Pages,  cutting,  74,  loi;  entry  in 
accession  book, ']']. 

Painting  card,  author,  173;  gal- 
lery, 175;  school,  176;  title, 
"174. 

Pamphlet  case,  108-109. 

Pamphlets,  cataloging,  108-109; 
classifying,  108-109;  klips  for, 
109;  local  history,  108. 

Paper,  best  quality  for  books, 

63. 

Paste,  34,  106. 

Patten,  F.  C,  Library  legisla- 
tion, 147. 

Patrons,  131. 

Penalties,  149. 

Perforating  stamp,  99. 

Periodicals,  binder  for,  58-59; 
binding  for,  105;  circulation 
of,  59;  cost,  59;  for  children, 
58;  indexes  to,  55;  list  for  a 
small  library,  61-62;  needed 
in  beginning  work,  32-33;  rec- 
ord of,  60;  use  in  reference 
work,  54-56. 

Photographs,  129;  accessioning, 
171-172;  cataloging,  172-177; 
classifying,  178;  labeling,  178- 
179;  storage,  180;  handling, 
180. 

Placards,  see  Signs. 

Place  of  publication,  in  acces- 


INDEX 


sion  book,  Tj;  on  order  slip. 

64. 
Planning    library    buildings 

(Soule),  25-29. 
Plummer,  M.  W.,  Hints  to  small 

libraries,  31. 
Pocket,  see  Book  pocket. 
Policy  of  the  library,  15-16. 
Politics  and  libraries,  148. 
Poole's  index,  55. 
Postal  notice,  118. 
Pratt  institute  library  school, 

155- 

Preliminary  work,  10. 

Preparing  books  for  the  shelves, 
99- 1 02. 

President  of  library  board,  141. 

Printed  catalogs,  94,  115. 

Printed  rules,  137. 

Privileges,  expiration  of,  121. 

Privileges  for  children,  157;  for- 
feiture of,  138-139;  teachers, 
138.  158. 

Process,  photograph,  172. 

Professional  books  for  teachers, 

149. 

Public,  contact  with  the,  122; 
rules  for  the,  137-139. 

Public  documents,  44;  care  in  a 
library,  111-112;  check  list, 
III;  collecting,  44;  congres- 
sional, I  lo-i  12;  departmental, 
110-112;  how  issued,  no;  to 
whom  issued,  iio-iii. 

Public  libraries  (monthly),  32, 
38. 

Public  libraries  in  America 
(Fletcher),  31. 

Public  library  handbook,  31. 

Publication,  date  ot;  see  Date  of 
publication. 

Publication,  place  of;  see  Place 
of  publication. 

Publisher's  name,  in  accession 
book,  77;  on  order  slip,  64. 

Publisher'  trade  list  annual,  31. 

Publishers*  weekly,  32. 

Punctuation,  95. 


Purchase  of  books,  see  Buying 
books. 

Qualifications  of  librarian,  20- 
22,  123,  154. 

Qualifications  of  trustees,  17. 

Quorum  of  library  board,  140. 

Rare  bindings,  collections,  170. 

Rare  books,  44-45. 

Readers,  27. 

Readers*  guide  to  contempo- 
rary literature  ( S  o  n  n  e  n  - 
schein),  32. 

Reading  habits,  161-162. 

Reading  lists,  see  Reference 
lists. 

Reading  room,  character  of,  57; 
for  children,  157, 163;  newspa- 
pers for,  57;  periodicals  for, 
58-60;  rules  for,  139;  value  of, 
12-13. 

Receptions,  170. 

Recreation,  133. 

Reference  books,  for  a  small 
librarv  (Baker),  46-52;  for 
schools,  149,  160,  165;  how  in- 
dicated, 138;  selecting,  39. 

Reference  catalog  of  current 
literature,  31, 

Reference  department,  139. 

Reference  list  on  library  legis- 
lation, 150. 

Reference  lists,  for  schools,  115, 
157,161;  on  cards,  54;  special 
subject,  114. 

Reference  work,  for  children, 
159, 160, 163,  165;  suggestions, 
53;  use  of  dictionaries,  53;  use 
of  periodicals,  54-56. 

Register  of  borrowers,  see  Bor- 
rowers. 

Regulations,  see  Rules  for  the 
public. 

Relation  of  the  Library  Bureau 
to  libraries  (Meleney),  35-38. 

Relative  index,  81. 

Remainder  libraries,  no,   in. 

Renewal  of  books,  118,  138. 

Repair,  106. 


INDEX 


Report,  annual,  146;  of  libra- 
rian, 145;  of  trustees,  143. 
Request  blanks,  45. 
Responsibility  of  borrowers,  1 20, 

138.  157.        . 

Review  of  reviews,  55. 

Rooms,  library,  25-26-27. 

Rubber  stamps,  34,  99. 

Rules,  accession-book,  30,  'jt, 
card  catalog,  30,  95-97;  for  an 
author  and  title  catalog,  con- 
densed, 31;  for  a  dictionary 
catalog,  31,  97;  for  binding, 
106;  for  care  of  books,  75;  for 
government  of  trustees  and 
employes,  140-145;  for  hand- 
writing, 69-72;  for  the  care  of 
photographs  (Kent),  171-180; 
for  the  public,  15,  122,  137- 
139;  library  school,  30;  shelf- 
list,  30, 92-93;  for  planning  li- 
brary buildings  (Soule),  25-29. 

Sargent's  reading  for  the  young, 

School  card  for  painting  and 
sculpture,  175-176. 

School  libraries,  149,  160,  164- 
165. 

Schoolroom  libraries,  J<f^  School 
libraries. 

Schools  and  libraries,  13,  157- 
159,  160-162,  164. 

Schools,  reference  books  for, 
149, 160,  165. 

Schools,  reference  lists  for,  1 1 5, 
157,  161. 

Second-hand  books,  66,  68. 

Secretary  of  library  board,  141. 

Selection  of  books,  extra  copies, 
42,  44;  fiction,  41-42;  for  chil- 
dren, 41;  for  reference,  39; 
history,  travel,  literature,  41; 
local  history,  44;  natural  sci- 
ence, 43;  price,  40,  41;  pro- 
portion in  each  department, 
43;  public  documents,  44; 
rare  books,  44,  45;  request 
blanks,  45,  65;  suggestions, 
39;  with  reference  to  the  com- 


munity, 40,  43,  68;   see  also 

Buying  books. 
Series,  66. 

Shelf-list  cards,  34,  93. 
Shelf-list  rules,  30,  92,  93. 
Shelf-list  sheets,  34,  92. 
Shelves,  for  folios  and  quartos, 

27;  form,  27;  height,  26;  size, 

Signs,  57,  122. 

Size  card,  33.   . 

Size  letter,  95. 

Size  notation  for  photographs, 
172,  178,  180. 

Size  of  board  of  trustees,  17. 

Societies,  see  Clubs. 

Sonnenschein,  W.  S.,  Best 
books,  31;  readers'  guide  to 
contemporaneous  literature, 
32. 

Soule,  C.  C,  Rules  for  planning 
library  buildings,  25-29;  trus- 
tees, 17,  19. 

Special  libraries,  in. 

Specialists,  129. 

Stafford's  ink,  69. 

Stacks,  28,  37. 

Stamp,  embossing,  99,  perforat- 
ing, 99,  rubber,  34,  99;  rubber, 
for  labeling  photographs,  179. 

Stamping  books,  99,  loi. 

State  library  commissions,  149- 

o  '50.  153. 

State  library  associations,  153. 

Storage  of  photographs,  180. 

Study  clubs,  168. 

Style  card  for  architecture,  177. 

Subject  card,  illustration,  97. 

Subject  headings,  32,  96-98. 

Subject-list,  96. 

Supplementary  reading  foi 

schools,  149,  160. 
Supplies,  29-30-34,  36. 
Supports,  73. 
Tables,  27. 

Tax  levy  for  libraries,  147-148. 
Teachers*  cards,  158. 
Teachers,  cooperation  of,  157- 

1 59-160-162, 


INDEX 


Teachers*  privileges,  138, 158. 

Teachers,  professional  books 
for,  149. 

Things  needed  in  beginning 
work,  33-34. 

Time  limit  for  retaining  books, 
138. 

Title,  in  accession  book,  77;  in 
catalog,  95;  on  order  slip,  64; 
on  shelf-list,  93. 

Title  card,  illustration,  96;  for 
architecture,  176;  for  painting 
and  sculpture,  174-175. 

Title-lists,  96,  115. 

Tools,  30-34. 

Tools,  books  as  useful,  134. 

Trained  librarian  in  a  small  li- 
brary (Hopkins),  23-24. 

Training  classes,  154-155. 

Transfer  of  accounts,  138. 

Traveling  libraries,  150,  169.  , 

Tray,  for  book  cards,  117;  for 
catalog  cards,  98. 

Trustees,  appointment  of,  148; 
committees,  18,  142;  duties, 
18;  meeting  of  board  of,  140; 
officers,  18, 141 ;  qualifications, 
17;  relations  with  the  libra- 


rian, 18-19;  reports,  143;  size 
of  board,  17;  term  of  office  17, 
148. 

Two-book  system,  120. 

Type,  size  of,  63. 

U.   S.  documents,   see   Public 
documents. 

University  of  Illinois  state  li- 
brary school,  155. 

Varnish  for  labels,  100. 

Vertical  hand,  69. 

Village  library  successfully 
managed  (Garfield),  135-136. 

Volume  entry  in  accession  book, 
76. 

Wisconsin  summer  school  of  li- 
brary science,  155. 

Women  on  library  board,  136. 

Women's  clubs,  168-169. 

Work-number,  see  Book-num- 
ber. 

World's  library  congress    pa- 
)ers,  32. 
^riting  see  Handwriting. 

Young  ladies'  clubs,  168. 

Young  men's  clubs,  168. 

Young  people,  reading  for;  sei 
Juvenile  books. 


Wri 


IB  66399 


